The PBS series, American Health Journal, recently featured a segment covering innovations in biologic and biosimilar medications. The educational presentation highlights some important facts about these medicines that many Americans might not know. For example, more than 200 biologic medicines have benefited millions of patients worldwide in the treatment of disease.
Biosimilars will soon be playing a larger role in treating patients as they are developed and approved as potential alternative treatments for many of these successful biologic medicines. Because of their complexity, biologic medications must be manufactured in living cells versus drugs composed of small molecules, which are developed in laboratories by using chemical building blocks.
This segment demonstrates how biologic and biosimilar medications are manufactured, and how they differ from traditional small molecule medications. The use of biologics in the treatment of disease, the regulatory approach to approving a new biologic or biosimilar medicine, as well as the role of advocacy organizations in patient care will also be explored in this edition of the American Health Journal.
VIDEO: Watch PBS’ Segment on Biologic and Biosimilar Medications