Switching to Biosimilars: what do patients think?
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Switching to Biosimilars: What do patients think?
IRAS ID
254016
Contact name
David Coady
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS FT
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, 31 days
Research summary
Biologic drugs have been routinely used in Rheumatology for over 15 years. The most common of these are the anti-TNF drugs (as they inhibit tumour necrosis factor). They effectively treat inflammation in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis, but they are expensive.
Biosimilar drugs are now being produced. These are copies of the originator biologic but may not be exactly identical (hence "biosimilar"). Biosimilars have been licensed for use in rheumatological conditions in recent years, and have the advantage of a 25-30% cost saving. Guidance from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) suggests using the lowest cost anti TNF inhibitor where possible, however there are currently no data on patients' experiences of switching between the two types of drug.
We are interested in patients' views on switching to biosimilars, what concerns they may have and what we as Health Care providers can do to support them and make the transition easier.
We propose to hold face to face in depth interviews (approximately 45 minutes) with up to 15 adult patients who are being treated for the above conditions. They will have either switched to biosimilars already or be about to do so. We will explore their experiences and concerns using open ended questions.
This study will run only at City Hospitals Sunderland where eligible patients will be approached at routine Rheumatology clinics. Participation in the study will last from when consent is signed to when the interview has been completed so can all be done in a single visit. The patients will receive a small gift voucher as a token of appreciation for participating.We hope that the results of this pilot study will enable us to create a questionnaire for wider use in the next phase of our research.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2
REC reference
19/ES/0114
Date of REC Opinion
1 Oct 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion