Health Canada considers well-controlled transitions from originator to biosimilar acceptable and that a decision to transition a patient being treated with an originator to a biosimilar be made by the treating physician in consultation with the patient, taking into account any policies of a public or private drug plan.

In this video, Arthritis Consumer Experts speaks to Dr. John Esdaile, Scientific Director Emeritus of Arthritis Research Canada, about the findings from the more than 200 current, high quality research studies that prove the safety and efficacy of biosimilar transition. Transitioning between similar biologic medications has been safely and effectively implemented with thousands of patients in Europe with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gastrointestinal and bowel diseases. Registries of these patients on biosimilar therapies report on their continued safe and effective use at leading scientific meetings several times each year and have done so over the past ten years.

To learn more about biosimilars transitioning, please click on the video.