This work moves from evidence of a pharmacoeconomic exploratory study of the case experienced at the Potenza Local Health Authority in Italy about a strategy for pharmaceutical expenditure containment based on the ‘switch’ from the so-called ‘originators’ drugs to biosimilar ones adopted in recent years (Saviano et al., 2022) 3 . The study of the case highlights that, despite the various scientific evidence of the equal effectiveness and safety of biosimilar drugs compared to the originators, and the rigorous rules for the switch, there is still resistance to biosimilars by both doctors and patients that needs to be understood and addressed (Claus et al., 2017; Ho, 2021; Gasteiger & Petrie, 2022). The Authority adopted a governance strategy of stakeholder engagement based on a multi-actor sharing of choices and promotion programs that resulted decisive to get the expected consensus by doctors. This approach based on sharing information and decisions, however, would not be equally effective in getting the consent of the patients; there is, in fact, an irreducible information asymmetry that does not allow patients to access and understand the same kind of information. Hence, the acceptance of biosimilars by patients would only rely on a trusted relationship with the prescriber doctors. A different engagement strategy, indeed, should be adopted to overcome the possible resistance by patients to share the overall commitment to the sustainability of pharmaceutical care. This is where a managerial and marketing perspective can be effectively integrated into pharmacoeconomic analyses. This short premise, in fact, is aimed to highlight the importance of integrating interpretative contributions from different theoretical perspectives and research streams under the common general view of business administration studies. Hence, it is highly agreed on the need for a dialogue and an interdependent, transversal, and circular vision between the various disciplinary streams of business administration knowledge which, despite their specificities, receive inspiration from the unitary and still current matrix from which Italian scholars draw a common origin (https://aidea2023.it/).
The potential economic sustainability and social impact offered by biosimilar drugs in the light of a managerial Systems and Service view
Saviano M.;Perillo C.
2023-01-01
Abstract
This work moves from evidence of a pharmacoeconomic exploratory study of the case experienced at the Potenza Local Health Authority in Italy about a strategy for pharmaceutical expenditure containment based on the ‘switch’ from the so-called ‘originators’ drugs to biosimilar ones adopted in recent years (Saviano et al., 2022) 3 . The study of the case highlights that, despite the various scientific evidence of the equal effectiveness and safety of biosimilar drugs compared to the originators, and the rigorous rules for the switch, there is still resistance to biosimilars by both doctors and patients that needs to be understood and addressed (Claus et al., 2017; Ho, 2021; Gasteiger & Petrie, 2022). The Authority adopted a governance strategy of stakeholder engagement based on a multi-actor sharing of choices and promotion programs that resulted decisive to get the expected consensus by doctors. This approach based on sharing information and decisions, however, would not be equally effective in getting the consent of the patients; there is, in fact, an irreducible information asymmetry that does not allow patients to access and understand the same kind of information. Hence, the acceptance of biosimilars by patients would only rely on a trusted relationship with the prescriber doctors. A different engagement strategy, indeed, should be adopted to overcome the possible resistance by patients to share the overall commitment to the sustainability of pharmaceutical care. This is where a managerial and marketing perspective can be effectively integrated into pharmacoeconomic analyses. This short premise, in fact, is aimed to highlight the importance of integrating interpretative contributions from different theoretical perspectives and research streams under the common general view of business administration studies. Hence, it is highly agreed on the need for a dialogue and an interdependent, transversal, and circular vision between the various disciplinary streams of business administration knowledge which, despite their specificities, receive inspiration from the unitary and still current matrix from which Italian scholars draw a common origin (https://aidea2023.it/).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
