Madrid, January 21 of 2026

• BioSim expands its "Biosimilars in figures" section with a new international scope
• The new tool allows for comparison of biosimilar adoption in different European healthcare systems since 2020

The Spanish Association of Biosimilar Medicines, BioSim, continues to strengthen its role as a leading organization in the dissemination of rigorous and up-to-date information on biosimilar medicines with the launch of the new section “Biosimilars in figures – International” on its website. This new section was created with the aim of offering a comparative view of the degree of adoption of biosimilar medicines in different European countries, taking into account that their use is conditioned by multiple factors such as the organization of healthcare, pricing and public procurement policies, prescription incentive systems, or the level of training and information of healthcare professionals and patients.

According to Encarna Cruz, CEO of BioSim, “Although the use of biosimilars is growing steadily year after year, their market penetration varies considerably between countries.” The “Biosimilars in Figures – International” section presents data on the adoption of biosimilars of different active ingredients since 2020 (or since their market launch in each country) in various therapeutic areas such as immune-mediated diseases, endocrine disorders, oncological and hematological diseases, and others. “All of this, presented graphically, will facilitate a clear and visual understanding of the trends and will answer one of the most frequently asked questions about Spain’s situation compared to other countries in our region,” Cruz continues.

This initiative expands the “Biosimilars in figures” section, previously launched by BioSim for the field nationalwhich has been very well received for providing up-to-date data on biosimilar consumption within the National Health System, its evolution over time, and its distribution between hospitals and community pharmacies. The director explained that “with the new international section, BioSim strengthens its website as a leading repository of information on biosimilar medicines, committing to transparency, data analysis, and dissemination, and provides stakeholders in biosimilars with a tool that can help contextualize the Spanish situation within the European environment.”

The director of BioSim acknowledges that “the fundamental challenge is finding reliable public data on the use of biosimilar medicines, and even more importantly, data that is comparable. Therefore, this observatory begins with data from three countries that regularly publish official consumption data, either in DDDs or on packages: Portugal (on the Infarmed website), Italy (on the AIFA website), and Germany (on the AG Probiosimilars website).”

For her part, Encarna Cruz, CEO of BioSim, points out that “the comparative analysis of the adoption of biosimilars in Europe could help to identify good practices and understand the impact that different health policies have on their use.”

Main findings from the section “Biosimilars in figures – International”

In general, the analysis by therapeutic area shows that Italy and Germany have better biosimilar utilization rates for immune-mediated diseases than Spain or Portugal, although all four countries already have very high utilization rates for long-established anti-TNF agents such as infliximab and adalimumab (over 80%). Germany and Italy also surpass the other countries in the use of monoclonal antibodies for cancer treatment. The higher utilization of biosimilar insulin glargine in Spain compared to the other countries stands out, although utilization rates are low in all of them (barely exceeding 20%). Regarding recently introduced biosimilars such as natalizumab and ranibizumab, there is greater variability in utilization between countries, demonstrating that these are markets with significant growth potential and where clinical acceptance is not as firmly established as in immune-mediated diseases or oncology.

“Knowing this data invites further reflection that requires in-depth knowledge of each healthcare system, as this influences the use of biosimilars: for example, whether there is a price difference between the original and the biosimilar, whether it is dispensed in the pharmacy or in the hospital, whether it is purchased through a public tender, etc. But whatever the case may be, having this information is a very significant step forward,” Cruz concludes.

Biosimilars in figures – International: https://www.biosim.es/medicamentos-biosimilares-en-cifras-internacional/