Carol Lynch
Chair
Biosimilar Medicines Group
Brussels
Belgium

Essential for increasing access to important medicines and the sustainability of healthcare systems

Biologic medicines have revolutionised the management of many serious diseases over the last three decades. Unfortunately, the potential of biologic medicines has not been fully realised, as many who would benefit from these state-of-the-art treatments cannot effectively access them. A key driver of this limited availability is the increasing struggle to finance new medicines within healthcare systems. I have talked with so many passionate people – patients, physicians, experts – who face this reality every day. We have to work together to overcome this hurdle, and ensure patients have access to the treatments they need.

All stakeholders benefit from biosimilar medicines

An essential part of the solution is broader utilisation of biosimilar medicines, which represent a high-quality and effective treatment alternative to their reference biologic medicine, and bring relief to highly pressured healthcare systems. We have seen this work with biosimilar medicines that are already marketed: since 2006, EU-approved biosimilar medici ...