Drug development and potential regulatory paths for insulin biosimilars

Abstract

Under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCI Act), a biological product may be demonstrated to be "biosimilar" if data show that, among other things, the product is "highly similar" to an already-approved biological product. Biosimilar insulins have the potential to reduce ever growing costs associated with insulin treatment by allowing competition. In this article, we describe the current drug development and regulatory paths for biosimilar insulins. Most likely basis of market approval for biosimilar insulins by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and guidance for developing insulin biosimilars by European Medicines Agency (EMA) are discussed in detail. Currently, no product specific biosimilar FDA guidance for insulin biosimilarity assessment exists. We propose efficient and cost-effective drug development and potential regulatory paths based on scientific justification. In addition, novel trial designs for demonstrating interchangeability between the biosimilar and the reference insulin products are presented. © 2014 Diabetes Technology Society.