A biosimilar medicine is a highly similar version of an original brand of a biological medicine, which enters the market following the patent expiry of the original brand. Biosimilar brands of biological medicines are used to treat the same diseases, in the same way and have been tested to show that are just as safe and effective as the original brand.
Biosimilar medicines have been available in Europe since 2006 and are now used by over 60 countries around the world. In Australia, biosimilar medicines have been used since 2010.
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Reference
Australian Government – Department of Health. Biosimilar medicines: the basics for health care professionals. P11756. Updated: March 2017. Available at: https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/biosimilar-awareness-initiative/$File/Biosimilar-medicines-the-basics-for-healthcare-professionals-brochure.pdf . Accessed 27 August 2018