11^th European Biosimilars Congress

Markets with biosimilar competition have suffered massive price erosion over the last 2-3 years. There are two reasons for it. One reason is that biosimilar manufacturers have been very aggressive on pricing from the very beginning. Another reason is that payers have become more active in managaing Therapeutic Areas (TAs) with biosimilar competition by implementing numerous mechanisms to drive uptake. From biosimilar quotas to national and regional tenders or prescribing guidelines for physicians — the list of payer tools to push biosimilar uptake is manifold and effectiveness varies across markets and TAs. So not all down on price? Not in all markets!. In tender markets obviously it is all down on price. Biosimilars have made the race over originators by offering up to 70% or 80% discount on their list price. So there is simply no golden rule to pricing in those markets. That is different in non-tender markets though. Here manufacturers have more leeway to differentiate on price and beyond price. Understanding market mechansisms and limitations of payer steering can lead to significant upside in revenue and profit potential. Strategic pricing leaving room to maneuver on one hand and innovative, smart access models on the other hand can be two key drivers to differentiate in an undifferentiated market setting. At the European Biosimilar Conference I would like to speak more about and share my experience on different payer management styles to manage biosimilars today in key European markets, biosimilar pricing strategies, main reasons for failure, and ways how to differentiate beyond price.