Did a Non‐Medical Biosimilar Switching Policy Cause an Increase in Non‐Biologic/Biosimilar Health Care Resource Utilization or Cost in Patients With Inflammatory Arthritis?
Authors' conclusion
Nonmedical biosimilar switching policies did not lead to increases in other health care service use and costs.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with inflammatory arthritis in British Columbia, Canada
- Participants
- 3,150 patients
- Comparison
- Before vs after non-medical biosimilar switching policies
- Outcome
- Total health care costs, excluding biologic and biosimilar costs (level and trend change after switching policy)
Methodological detailsfive linked administrative databases (Population Data BC), January 2013 to December 2022
- Five linked administrative databases (Population Data BC)
- January 2013 to December 2022
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Total health care costs excl. biologic/biosimilar costs
- Infliximab or etanercept policy
- level change -$40 (95% CI -$99 to $19)
- Infliximab or etanercept policy
- trend change $5.42 (95% CI -$0.62 to $11.46)
- Adalimumab policy
- level change -$34 (95% CI -$139 to $70)
- Adalimumab policy
- trend change -$8.97 (95% CI -$17.94 to $0.00)
Further findings
Physician services, hospital services, ED visits, concomitant drug use
- No evidence of any increases after either nonmedical switch policy
Composition of total care cost
- Hospital and physician services accounted for the majority of total care cost
Original publication
Did a Non‐Medical Biosimilar Switching Policy Cause an Increase in Non‐Biologic/Biosimilar Health Care Resource Utilization or Cost in Patients With Inflammatory Arthritis? Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). Published 23 October 2025. doi:10.
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