Cancer Drug Trastuzumab And Its Biosimilars Compete On Price For Market Share

Abstract

Using Medicare claims, we documented US prescribing patterns for originator biologic trastuzumab (Herceptin), a targeted cancer therapy, and five biosimilar entrants since 2019. The first biosimilar captured a dominant share, but over time, average sales prices of all products declined, and later entrants became dominant in some states. Despite strong brand loyalty to the first biosimilar, competitive pressure increased with subsequent entrants.

The full study can be viewed at Health Affairs.

Chen, A. J., Kaiser, K. M., Gascue, L., Manetas, M.-A., & Van Nuys, K. (2023). Cancer drug trastuzumab and its biosimilars compete on price for market share. Health Affairs, 42(6), 779–784. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01448