Biosimilars are nonpatented biologic products that are similar to reference biologic agents in structure, function, activity, safety, and efficacy. In 2014, investigators from the RAND Corporation, a prominent policy think tank, predicted that the introduction of biosimilars could result in up to $44.2 billion worth of savings from 2014 to 2024 in the United States.¹ Thus, they envisioned that the emergence of biosimilar drugs has the potential to create substantial savings for the nation’s health care system. This estimate was derived from a model identifying potential price savings based on 4 factors: safety and effectiveness of a biosimilar in comparison with the branded biologic; payers’ willingness to pay for biosimilars relative to the branded biologic; the extent to which patients, physicians, and payers will adopt biosimilars; and barriers to entry faced by biosimilar makers.¹

生物仿制药是非专利生物制品，其结构，功能，活性，安全性和功效与参考生物制剂相似。2014年，著名政策智囊团兰德公司（RAND Corporation）的研究人员预测，从2014年到2024年，在美国使用生物仿制药可能会节省442亿美元。^1个因此，他们设想生物仿制药的出现有可能为国家的卫生保健系统节省大量资金。该估算值是基于一个模型确定的，该模型基于以下四个因素确定了潜在的价格节省：与品牌生物制剂相比，生物仿制药的安全性和有效性；付款人愿意为与品牌生物药品有关的生物仿制药付款；患者，医师和付款人采用生物仿制药的程度；以及生物仿制药生产商面临的进入壁垒。^1个