Biosimilar market share in 27 European countries saw a substantial increase from 3.6% in 2014 to an average of 40.7% in 2024, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. Despite this growth, uptake varied significantly between countries, with certain nations seeing rates above 50% while others remained below 10%. The research highlights that effective policies, such as gain-sharing models, prescriber switching policies, and prescribing quotas, were linked to higher levels of biosimilar adoption.
The study utilized data from IQVIA MIDAS for sales across Europe, including 24 European Union member states, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK, excluding Cyprus, Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Malta due to incomplete sales information. It also included a literature review and case studies from three countries to strengthen its findings.
By mid-2024, five countries—Norway, Italy, Croatia, the UK, and Finland—reported biosimilar market shares exceeding 50%. Conversely, Greece and Luxembourg struggled to reach even a 10% share. Nearly all the countries examined implemented tendering procedures for hospital-administered biosimilars. Additionally, 21 nations had biosimilar price links while 18 included biologicals in reference-price systems.
On the demand side, 24 countries encouraged or mandated the switching of patients from originator drugs to biosimilars, with 17 allowing prescriptions under international nonproprietary names. However, pharmacy-level substitution—a relatively new approach—was adopted in only 11 countries, which included recent adopters such as Norway and France. Gain-sharing models, which incentivize prescriber involvement, were in place in just 10 countries.
The analysis indicated that policies like gain-sharing, prescribing quotas, tendering methods, and price linking were associated with higher biosimilar market shares. Researchers emphasized that easing physician hesitancy through well-designed policies could significantly enhance biosimilar uptake. They noted that collaborative strategies, rather than reliance on a single policy, may yield larger improvements.
While the study provided valuable insights, the authors cautioned that sales data based on manufacturer list prices might not accurately reflect post-negotiation costs. They also stated that some newly implemented policies, such as pharmacy substitution, have yet to be fully assessed.
Comparatively, data illustrated a stark price contrast in biosimilar treatment costs between Europe and the U.S., where median costs reached $8,987, compared to $1,351 in Switzerland and $932 in Germany. This disparity suggests that European policy approaches incorporating various demand-side measures could offer insights for improving biosimilar market performance elsewhere.
