Pharmacist intervention in biosimilar education within community pharmacy practice

Abstract

Introduction: The lower costs of biosimilars, compared to originator biologics, make these biopharmaceuticals a promising avenue for increased cost-effective healthcare systems and patient accessibility. Purpose: The aims were to develop a questionnaire and infographics to assess patients' perceptions and concerns of biosimilars and clarify information needs, and to assess how pharmacist interventions affect perception on biosimilar use. Pharmacy Education 24(7) 75 - 157 Community pharmacy Method: A questionnaire and 3 infographics were developed in Maltese and English and validated. One infographic explained what generic medications are. The other two infographics provided an overview of biologics and biosimilars and the regulatory criteria that need to be satisfied for biosimilars to be placed on the market. The questionnaire was disseminated to 65 patients on biosimilars from 10 community pharmacies around Malta, which were geographically selected to include the north, centre, and south regions. All patients were subjected to an educational pharmacist intervention, with the aid of infographics. Results: Fifty out of 65 participating patients on biosimilars were not aware that they were taking a biosimilar and not the originator biologic. Nineteen patients were apprehensive knowing they were given a biosimilar medication prepharmacist intervention. Post-pharmacist intervention, only six patients remained apprehensive. The main concern with biosimilars was the potential occurrence of side effects (n=17), and 39 patients sought the need for further education regarding this. Thirty-one patients were not always dispensed the same brand of biologic medication, of which, 15 perceived both the biosimilar and t he originator as effective. Eight patients believed that the originator biologic was superior to the biosimilar, and 1 patient believed that the biosimilar was more effective than the originator biologic. When asked which sources of information patients refer to when they require more information about biosimilars, 60 refer to the consultant, 39 refer to their family doctor and 32 to the pharmacist. Fifty-four patients found the infographic information detailing biologics, biosimilars, and regulatory criteria to be novel. When evaluated on their understanding of the infographics, 56 patients answered all questions correctly. Fifty-eight patients either strongly agreed or agreed that there is not enough education on biosimilars. Sixty-one patients either strongly agreed or agreed that the pharmacist intervention helped them understand better what a biosimilar is, and 44 patients agreed that a pharmacist intervention prior to initiating a biosimilar would have benefitted them. Conclusion: A pharmacist intervention, which involved the use of infographics, proved to be beneficial in increasing the confidence of patients with biosimilar use. The development of validated and easily understood educational material played an important role in closing knowledge gaps and improving biosimilar acceptance.