This programme is accredited by the European Board for Accreditation of Continuing Education for Health Professionals (EBAC) for 1 hour of external CE credit. Each participant should claim only those hours of credit that have actually been spent in the educational activity.
This presidential debate-style discussion explores the topic of biosimilars within rheumatology, dermatology and gastroenterology. Jonathan Sackier moderates the session alongside an expert panel sharing viewpoints from their backgrounds in pharmacology, industry and clinical medicine.
Learning Objectives:
After attending this activity, learners will be able to:
- Understand what biosimilars are, how they differ from originator medicines, and how they are tested
- Comprehend the level of scientific and regulatory diligence required to develop biosimilars to ensure similarity
- Understand how the deployment of biosimilars leads to positive economic outcomes across healthcare systems
- Be cognisant of challenges related to utilising biosimilars, such as the nocebo effect, financial incentives and barriers, and international differences in regulation and economics
- Clarify concerns about efficacy, immunogenicity, safety, and the practicalities of switching to biosimilars
- Select clinical scenarios in rheumatology, dermatology, and gastroenterology where biosimilars can be prescribed
Faculty
Arnold Vulto, Emeritus Professor of pharmacy at Erasmus University in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and an honorary professor at the Catholic University in Leuven, Belgium, where he is supervising a team of researchers in the field of biosimilars where he has longstanding experience and has authored numerous scientific articles and delivered multiple educational lectures. He will speak from the perspective of the experienced hospital pharmacist.
Uwe Gudat from Geneva in Switzerland. Uwe is a medical doctor licensed in internal medicine subspecialized in metabolic disorders. He has spent the last 20 years working in the pharmaceutical industry in clinical development and most recently drug safety and pharmacovigilance. He will inform us through that optic.
Paul Cornes, a British Oncologist and a core lecturer at the European School of Oncology. He has written two books on biosimilars and served on the expert panel for the first biosimilar approval advisory board at the United States Medicines Regulator.
Liese Barbier, from Leuven in Belgium, where she serves as a post-doctoral researcher at the Catholic University in the Regulatory Sciences & Pharmaco-Economics research unit. She also served the European Medicines Agency and during her PhD research, Liese investigated adoption and implementation challenges faced by biosimilars on the clinical, regulatory and policy level, so she will be fact-checking and providing clarifications as needed during this webinar.
Moderator
Jonathan Sackier, is an internationally renowned surgeon, technology innovator, and entrepreneur. He trained as a surgeon in the UK, at the University of Liverpool, and in 1989 was recruited to the USA, where he played a role in developing a variety of medical technologies, including laparoscopic surgery, amniotic stem cell technology, and the world’s first commercial surgical robot, AESOP.
Financial disclosures:
Arnold Vulto has been a consultant/speaker for promotional activities with Accord Healthcare, Biogen, Effik Benelux, Fresenius Kabi, Pfizer/Hospira, Sandoz/Novartis/Hexal, & has received honoraria for educational activities with Amgen. Uwe Gudat is Chief Scientific and Safety Officer at Aretaeus sàrl and has been Head of Medical Affairs & CSPV at Fresenius Kabi. Paul Cornes has been a consultant/speaker for promotional activities with Accord Pharma, Biogen, DuoPharma, Libbs, Mylan Pfizer, Sandoz/Novartis.
Commercial support:
This activity is supported by an educational grant from VIATRIS.
