Published
Video length: 2 min
Health: biosimilar drugs, antibiotics little known to the French
Still little known in France, biosimilar drugs are used like generic drugs, but they are manufactured using living cells. Although their price is lower, these drugs cause concern among certain patient associations. – (Franceinfo)
Still little known in France, biosimilar drugs are used like generic drugs, but they are manufactured using living cells. Although their price is lower, these drugs cause concern among certain patient associations.
They could save Social Security millions of euros. In the aisles of a pharmacy, however, almost no one knows about biosimilars. Like generics, they are copies of drugs reference. But they are made from living cells. This alternative has been used for ten years in the treatment of cancer, psoriasis or diabetes. These medications also allow savings of 30 to 50%.
Associations are concerned about these drugs
However, they have difficulty establishing themselves in the habits of the French. Some patient associations are also concerned about the use of never identical living cells. For these associations, imposing these cells in place of the originals could disturb patients. “The patient will no longer take his treatments correctly. He will no longer seek treatment, or even possibly no longer take his treatments at all, without informing his doctor, and this can have severe effects on his health. worries Marianne Rivière, national president of the French Association of Lupus and other autoimmune diseases.