Role of biosimilars in rheumatoid arthritis - Process from R & D to marketing and trends in the world

Abstract

Figures 1 and 2 shows the trend of the sale of advanced therapeutic drugs for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) currently available commercially in Japan. After the release of infliximab in 2003, biological products were introduced to the market with great frequency, and biological products with different mechanisms of action and dosing regimens became available (the use of rituximab for RA is not approved in Japan, unlike in overseas countries). Ten years after the release of the first biological product in Japan, the sale of Janus kinase inhibitors was promoted, and biosimilars (BSs) were also actively marketed.