FFOMC Conference - BioSim at OMC headquarters
The Foundation for the Training of the Collegiate Medical Organization (FFOMC) organized last Thursday, within the framework of a collaboration agreement with the Spanish Association of Biosimilar Medicines BioSim, the Conference "Biosimilar medicines under debate: the crossroads of sciencefico, the pharmacollogical, legal and ethicaltico". In it, the participating experts valued the use of these medicines which, as reflected, make it possible to promote the sustainability of the Spanish health system and guarantee higher levels of access to biological medicines at an affordable cost.
With the aim of addressing the general concepts of these medicines and the particular aspects of their clinical management in relation to legal and bioethical implications, this scientific conference was held, aimed mainly at doctors, although it was open to any healthcare professional interested in biosimilar medicines.
The inauguration of the same was carried out by the General Director of the Basic Portfolio of Services of the National Health and Pharmacy System of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, Encarnación Cruz; the president of the WTO and FFOMC, Dr. Serafín Romero; and the president of the Spanish Association of Biosimilars (BioSim), Joaquín Rodrigo Poch. In it, the technical director of the FFOMC, Dr. José Ramón Repullo and representatives of BioSim, such as its general director Regina Múzquiz, were present.
As they explained, a biosimilar is a biological medicine equivalent in quality, efficacy and safety to an original biological medicine, called the reference product. Biosimilars allow a greater number of patients to access biological treatments due to the reduction in cost compared to the original product, and contribute both to the sustainability of the system and to improved patient access to innovative treatments.
Currently, the European Union has authorized the marketing of close to forty of these medicines, and it is expected that in the coming years a growing number of products and approved indications will be available.
Dr Seraphim Romero He began the turn of interventions alluding to the fact that the main objective of the Conference is to 'debate' and 'continue with the roadmap' planned jointly by the FFOMC and BioSim.
"This Conference and the online course "The use of biosimilars in clinical practice" are part of the agreement signed between the Collegiate Medical Organization -through its Foundation for Training (FFOMC)- and BioSim -Spanish Association of Biosimilars-, with the aim of training doctors in the use of medicines that imply improvements in the sustainability of the National Health System”.
For its part, joaquín Rodrigo Poch, the president of the Spanish Association of Biosimilars (BioSim) thanked the General Director of the Basic Portfolio of Services of the National Health System and Pharmacy Encarnación Cruz, for always showing "her support and firm commitment" to biosimilar medicines.
“Since the first biosimilar medicine appeared in 2006, a good number of medicines have been incorporated into the therapeutic arsenal that, in his opinion, are transforming the current panorama and that affect all medical professionals.
That is why, for the president of BioSim, "it is important that medical professionals become familiar with the use of biosimilars, dismantling myths, understanding the scientific and medical bases of their development, as well as delving into concepts such as prescription and follow-up." ; The main objective of this Conference is the prelude to the course on the use of biosimilars in clinical practice that will be launched recently”.
The General Director of the Basic Portfolio of Services of the National Health and Pharmacy System of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality, incarnacion cross He spoke about the importance of discussing biosimilars 'biological medicines that have become a tool for improving and sustaining the health system and a revolution in the treatment of many diseases'.
He explained that the Ministry of Health wants to implement a strategy for the promotion and use of generic and biosimilar medicines with several lines of action, such as proposing regulations that help advance the promotion of this type of medicine.
In this sense, he referred to the numerous studies on aspects such as substitution or interchangeability, "which were previously topics of debate and almost untouchable" but defended advancing in knowledge and not "anchoring ourselves in stereotypes, thoughts or ideas from five years ago, six or seven years", since "the evidence is showing us many things in recent years".
'It is important to see the commitment of the biosimilars industry with the State and patients through a collaboration agreement for the promotion of these medicines in the Autonomous Communities, to carry out informative campaigns that publicize the guarantees and commitments of biosimilars to patients directly', he stressed.
Professor Antonio Garcia Ruiz (Head of Pharmacology at the University of Malaga) and Dr. Gonzalo calvo (Head of the Clinical Pharmacology Service at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona), within the Table "The scientific and pharmacological dimension of biosimilar medicines", which was moderated by the vice president of the WTO doctor Javier Font Celaya, and David Larios (Lawyer of the Junta de Castilla La Mancha), Javier Sanchez Caro (speaker of the BioSim Ethics Commission) and Dr. Christopher Belda (Medical Oncologist and Executive Director of the HM Hospitales Research Foundation) at the Round Table "The clinical dimension and the legal and bioethical implications in the use of biosimilar medicines", moderated by the president of the COM of Badajoz, doctor Pedro Hidalgo Fernandez.
