A long-time member of a national health plan, Ms. Jones had been utilizing adalimumab biosimilar A for the past 18 months. It had been the preferred adalimumab product and thus is associated with the least out-of-pocket cost. On January 15, she opens her newly delivered medication, and finds a different biosimilar medication, with a different autoinjector, in the package. She wonders (1) why, (2) whether this will affect her autoimmune disease, and (3) how it may affect the administration of her medicine.
Well, readers of these posts all know the “why.” They also know that a change in biosimilar therapy shouldn’t affect her clinical status, based on millions of patient-days of experiential data.
To delve into the third question, we asked Kam Ghazvini, RPh, Chief Executive Officer of CarePartners Pharmacy, a specialty pharmacy based in Libertyville, Illinois. “The autoinjector device can be different,” based on each manufacturer’s own proprietary design, he said. “The actual appearance, shape, feel, button placement, click feedback, needle gauge or buffer formulation, and instructions for use might vary between devices.”
This may be the underlying patient disruption that providers often express as a significant barrier to self-administered biosimilar adoption. Despite a great deal of evidence that changing formulary coverage does not affect disease control or safety, this is a stubborn challenge. Doctors don’t want to field calls asking why they changed their patients’ prescription, when they really didn’t. Health plans want the change to go as smoothly as possible, but they know that some (if not a majority) of patients do not read (or perhaps understand) advance notifications of a formulary change.
In fact, the specialty pharmacy can be a powerful tool to minimize patient disruption in cases like Ms. Jones. Mr. Ghazvini explained, “We are seeing formulary-driven biosimilar transitions occurring in 2025 and anticipate a meaningful increase in 2026. At CarePartners, these transitions are managed proactively and clinically, with a strong emphasis on patient education, safety, and continuity of care. Once a formulary change is identified, our team contacts the member in advance of the transition to explain the change and provide education on biosimilars in general, as well as on the specific biosimilar brand that will be dispensed.”
He added that in the case of a reference product to biosimilar transition, “every effort is made to maintain consistency in the delivery device. For example, if a patient has been using a Humira autoinjector, we typically dispense a biosimilar autoinjector rather than a prefilled syringe, whenever clinically appropriate and available.”
If a change in injection device is required, his organization’s clinicians proactively discuss this with the patient before dispensing. “Education includes clear instructions on device use, storage, and administration technique.” Mr. Ghazvini explained that at CarePartners, “our education and support approach varies slightly based on the patient access model, but clinical rigor remains consistent across all scenarios:
“(1) Direct from the patient: When CarePartners receives prescriptions directly from providers, our clinicians contact patients prior to dispensing to educate them on the transition from reference product to biosimilar; review safety, side effects, storage, and injection technique; and explain available patient-support and financial assistance resources.
“(2) PBM and Plan Sponsor Partnerships: Many of our PBM and plan sponsor partners have member-support teams that notify patients of formulary changes and provide high-level biosimilar education before transitioning members to our specialty pharmacy. CarePartners clinicians then reinforce this education and provide detailed clinical and device-specific training.
“(3) Wholesale and Distribution Model: Through our wholesale and distribution platform, we supply low-net-cost biosimilars to partners who operate their own pharmacies. In these cases, our clinical team provides comprehensive patient and provider educational materials for use at the point of dispensing.”
Mr. Ghazvini concluded, “CarePartners has dispensed and supported thousands of patients on biosimilar therapies over the past several years, with less than 1% of patients reverting back to reference products. We believe biosimilars demand a true specialty pharmacy model—one that prioritizes clinical oversight, patient education, and high-touch support to ensure optimal outcomes.”
In Other Biosimilar News
Alvotech and its marketing partner Teva Pharmaceuticals have reached a licensing agreement with Regeneron, which will enable it to launch its aflibercept biosimilar candidate AVT06, no later than during the fourth quarter of 2026 in the US. The drug’s 351(k) application is expected to receive an FDA decision early in 2026.
