Noble Can Help Alleviate Patient Anxieties Caused by Switching to Biosimilar Therapies

Change can be difficult for patients, particularly when embarking on a new treatment plan.

Patients who require treatments for a variety of chronic illnesses—ranging from diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis to multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease and cancer— are increasingly prescribed biosimilar therapies to self-inject from their home or another location that is not their healthcare provider’s (HCP’s) office. Biosimilars have become more widely prescribed by physicians as an affordable alternative to biologics, accounting for an estimated 38-40% of all pharmaceutical spending and average more than $100,000 per patient per year, worldwide.

When forced to transition from a biologic to a biosimilar therapeutic treatment plan, many patients struggle with anxieties regarding their new regimen. Uncertainty related to beginning a new routine, adapting to a new therapeutic treatment, and acclimating to the use of a new autoinjector/prefilled syringe can be burdensome. Consequently, heightened patient anxiety and stress can lead to further reduced efficacy for adherence when self-administering drug therapies.

A recent European biosimilar switch feedback study reported patients feeling disappointed in their experience when switchingom a branded biologic to a biosimilar product, indicating their experiences were suboptimal.

Moreover, a real-world switching study[1] conducted in Iceland, found only 18.2% of patients surveyed to have received training for their biosimilar— a ghastly juxtaposition compared to the 90.5% of patients for the referenced biologic that did receive training; almost 50% of whom still found it exceedingly difficult to switch.

If patients are to become and remain adherent to their self-injection regimen, and realize positive health outcomes, they must be given the tools to succeed. This is where Noble, an Aptar Pharma company, can help to create a more positive patient transfer experience.

By further educating patients and providing them with the supporting materials necessary, Noble’s tailored solutions can help alleviate existing anxieties for those who may be negatively impacted by switching from a reference biologic to a new biosimilar treatment. Noble’s tailored Biosimilar Bridge Program solution reflects a deep understanding of patient anxieties regarding self-injectables and the challenges that stem from the lack of a proper training and onboarding process when switching.

Indeed, Noble’s Biosimilar patient centric solutions are rooted in understanding patient wants, needs and preferences as it pertains to device training and onboarding. In addition, Noble can conduct a thorough evaluation of the injectable landscape and competitive analysis of patient support programs to inform their recommended solutions for optimizing patient switching and adherence. Key elements of these solutions include:

• Customized resettable demonstration devices designed to ensure that all stakeholders will become familiar and confident with critical features, steps and injection technique
• Tailored training and onboarding support common with reference biologic PSPs: welcome & travel kits, injection training videos and instructions for use (IFUs)
• An interactive digital solution focused on building a positive transition experience, when combining patients’ preferred learning method and hands-on practice

Supporting positive transfer experiences for patients is imperative. Studies[2] show a staggering one-third of patients do not receive any in-office training on their self-injectable from their HCPs. If they do, those training methods vary widely. In addition, HCPs often lack the necessary skills to provide helpful and proper training to patients. That is why Noble’s Biosimilar patient centric solutions are a significant change for HCPs and their patients; as they will catalyze a positive shift in patient training, proper utilization of these treatments and increase patient adherence.

Noble Speaks Patient ®

Noble has traditionally combined its knowledge and understanding of patients’ needs and anxieties around self-injecting along with its design and engineering expertise to develop and commercialize training devices that mimic the exact feel, force and function of the real drug delivery device to help increase patient confidence and adherence for self-administering drug therapies. Noble also assists brands with training utilization, training device Instructions for Use (IFUs), training videos for patients, Human Factors support, product launch strategy programs, and more. Noble works with pharma companies in the development of patient training videos to help patients more easily learn how to properly self-administer their medication.

To learn more about how Noble’s training solutions and digital health solutions are increasing positive outcomes for HCPs and their patients, visit gonoble.com.

[1] Karlsdottir K, Gunnarsdottir AI, Grondal G, Love TJ, Stefansdottir E, Davidsdottir LG, Thorleifsdottir RH, Gudbjornsson B. A Patients’ Perspective Towards the Injection Devices for Humira® and Imraldi® in a Nationwide Switching Program. Front Med (Lausanne). 2022 Jan 27;9:799494. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.799494. PMID: 35155495; PMCID: PMC8829031.

[2] James Hawthorne, Dimos Katsaros, Amy Rinaldi, Katherine Brigham, Matthew D’Auria, Erika Bajars, Chris Franzese & Marty Coyne (2022) The current paradigm for biologic initiation: a confirmatory quantitative analysis of self-injection training practices, Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 19:6, 733-742, DOI: 10.1080/17425247.2022.2078300

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