Background

Biosimilars have been adopted by clinicians more slowly than anticipated in the post-marketing phase.

Objectives

We aimed to reveal the perceptions and attitudes of pediatric rheumatologists towards biosimilars and the obstacles to biosimilar therapy.

Methods

A web-based survey designed to determine the knowledge, experience, and perceptions of pediatric rheumatologists about biosimilars was electronically mailed to the participants between April and August 2021. Responses were collected anonymously and subsequently analyzed.

Results

A total of 114 pediatric rheumatologists including fellows (32.4%), specialists (29.8%), and seniors (37.7%) responded to the questionnaire. According to the data, 75 (65.8%) physicians had already prescribed at least one biosimilar. The vast majority of participants were aware of the potential cost savings of biosimilars (84, 73.3%). Participants who felt insufficiently informed were 41.8%, 67.6%, and 83.7% among seniors, specialists, and fellows, respectively. In pediatric rheumatology, the scarcity of clinical trials and real-life data (64%) and inadequate information about tolerance to the biosimilars and related side effects in children (49.1%) were the most common barriers expressed by prescribers. Nearly half (45%) of the pediatric rheumatologists preferred to prescribe biosimilars in the treatment of biologic-naive cases. However, most (93%) were reluctant to switch a reference molecule to a biosimilar while the patient was doing well under the originator medicine.

Conclusions

This survey provided insights into the concerns about prescribing biosimilars among pediatric rheumatologists. In the field of pediatric rheumatology, further education about biosimilars and real-life experiences is required to better inform about treatment options in children.

中文翻译：

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拥抱变化：关于儿科风湿病学家对生物仿制药的信念和态度的国际调查研究

背景

临床医生在上市后阶段采用生物仿制药的速度比预期的要慢。

目标

我们旨在揭示儿科风湿病学家对生物仿制药的看法和态度以及生物仿制药治疗的障碍。

方法

在 2021 年 4 月至 2021 年 8 月期间，一项旨在确定儿科风湿病学家对生物仿制药的知识、经验和看法的网络调查通过电子邮件发送给参与者。匿名收集回复并随后进行分析。

结果

共有 114 名儿科风湿病学家，包括研究员（32.4%）、专家（29.8%）和老年人（37.7%）回答了问卷。根据数据，75 名（65.8%）医生已经开了至少一种生物类似药。绝大多数参与者都意识到生物仿制药的潜在成本节约 (84, 73.3%)。老年人、专家和研究员中认为信息不足的参与者分别为 41.8%、67.6% 和 83.7%。在儿科风湿病学中，临床试验和真实数据的匮乏（64%）以及儿童对生物仿制药耐受性和相关副作用的信息不足（49.1%）是处方医生表达的最常见障碍。近一半 (45%) 的儿科风湿病学家更愿意在治疗未使用生物制剂的病例中开出生物仿制药。然而，

结论

这项调查深入了解了儿科风湿病学家对开具生物仿制药的担忧。在儿科风湿病学领域，需要对生物仿制药和现实生活进行进一步教育，以更好地了解儿童的治疗方案。