AAM commends Kentucky for enacting bill increasing patient biosimilar access
The Biosimilars Council, a division of the Association for Accessible Medicines, commended Kentucky for passing and enacting a bill that will increase patient access to lower-cost biosimilar medicines.
On March 14, Governor Andy Beshear signed Kentucky House Bill 220 into law, a bill that allows health plans to encourage greater adoption of lower-cost biosimilar medicines while preventing health plans from abusing step-therapy protocols. Including biosimilars in the Insurance Code provision alongside generics and interchangeable biologics extends patient protections and clarifies the ability of health plans and insurers to encourage the adoption of these medications.
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“This legislation is an important step to encouraging greater patient access to lower-cost biosimilars,” said Craig Burton, executive director of the Biosimilars Council. “Biosimilars offer lower prices for patients, employers and states, but have been held back by brand misinformation and rebate schemes.”
Biosimilars offer safe and effective treatment options at significantly lower prices than their reference brand biologics. As a result of their lower cost, biosimilar medicines increase patient access to care and have resulted in more than 344 million days of patient care that otherwise would not have been provided, the council said.
[Read more: Challenges continue, but generics companies see a bright future with biosimilars]
Joining Arkansas, California and Louisiana in passing this pro-patient legislation, Kentucky is the latest state to update its laws to remove barriers to biosimilar adoption and encourage greater use of cost-saving biosimilars.