Knowledge and viewpoints on biosimilar monoclonal antibodies from members of the Asian Organization of Crohn's and Colitis: comparison with European Crohn's and Colitis members.

Background/Aims: Current knowledge and viewpoints regarding biosimilars among physicians in Asia are unknown, although these were investigated in European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) members in 2013 and 2015. Thus, we conducted a multinational survey to assess awareness of biosimilar monoclonal antibodies among Asian physicians.

Methods: A 17-question multiple-choice anonymous web survey was executed with the logistic support of the Asian Organization of Crohn's and Colitis (AOCC). Randomly selected AOCC members were invited by e-mail to participate between February 24, 2017 and March 26, 2017.

Results: In total, 151 physicians from 8 Asian countries responded to the survey. Most participants were gastroenterologists (96.6%) and 77.5% had cared for IBD patients for over 5 years. The majority of respondents (66.2%) were aware that a biosimilar is similar but not equivalent to the originator. The majority of respondents (77.5%) considered cost saving as the main advantage of biosimilars, but high percentage of respondents (38.4%) were concerned about a different immunogenicity from that of the originator (92.4% and 27.1% respectively in ECCO 2015). Only 19.2% considered that the originator and biosimilars were interchangeable, and only 6.0% felt very confident in the use of biosimilars (44.4% and 28.8% respectively in ECCO 2015).

Conclusions: Asian gastroenterologists are generally well informed about biosimilars. However, compared with ECCO members surveyed in 2015, Asian gastroenterologists had more concerns and less confidence about the use of biosimilars in clinical practice. Thus, IBD-specific data on the comparison of efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity in Asian patients are needed.