The Minister of Health, Social Services and Equality, Dolors Montserrat, this morning received representatives of the Spanish Association of Biosimilars, Biosim. The meeting was attended by the Ministry, the Minister and the General Secretary of Health and Consumer Affairs, José Javier Castrodeza, and by Biosim its president, Joaquín Rodrigo, and its General Director, Regina Múzquiz.

The meeting was held with the purpose of presenting to the Minister the work objectives of the association and the main actions that are carried out to promote knowledge and the health significance of biosimilar medicines.

In this field, Biosim develops actions tending to facilitate a better knowledge of biosimilar medicines by professionals, health organizations and patients, and also to promote regulatory mechanisms that facilitate their use and adequate presence in therapeutic decisions. These lines of work have been exposed to the Minister in the framework of a meeting that has been held with the intention of establishing an initial dialogue and promoting future areas of collaboration between the Ministry and Biosim.

A biosimilar is a biological medicine equivalent in quality, efficacy and safety to an original biological medicine, called a reference product. The dosage and route of administration must be the same, and the biosimilar is authorized for all or some of the indications approved for the reference biologic. 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 more than twenty of these medicines, and it is expected that in the coming years a growing number of approved products and indications will be available.

Biosim is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to welcome and represent all pharmaceutical companies established in Spain that develop, manufacture, market or distribute biosimilar medicines. It is a young association, independent from other business organizations in the sector, and whose fundamental mission is to join efforts to benefit the role of biosimilars within the pharmaceutical sector and society as a whole.