• The planned actions include content on ethical and legal aspects, and the use of online platforms

Madrid, September 28, 2017. The Collegiate Medical Organization -through its Foundation for Training (FFOMC), and Biosim -Spanish Association of Biosimilars- have signed an agreement to offer and develop joint activities of national scope with the aim of providing doctors with a stable program training and information on biosimilar medicines.

The program aims to be a structured, didactic and eminently practical reference so that Spanish doctors can improve their knowledge and skills in the use of biosimilar medicines. The agreed activities will be developed by the WTO Training Foundation (FFOMC), and will be sponsored by Biosim.

A biosimilar is a biological medicine that is 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.

Two novel actions stand out from this collaboration. On the one hand, the development of a Conference on ethical and legal aspects of biological medicines, in order to provide rigorous references on the deontological dimensions that affect the prescription of these biological medicines. The Conference will serve to initially disseminate existing consensus on these matters, and generate a benchmark of interest for medical professionals.

On the other hand, the preparation and development of an online course specifically aimed at doctors on biosimilar medicines has been committed. The course, called "What doctors should know about biosimilars", will be the first reference on this topic with general Internet access for Spanish doctors, and will mean the possibility of bringing knowledge about these medicines to a large community of professionals.

The main experts on biosimilars in our country will participate in all the actions, and updated and highly rigorous content will be offered.

A Monitoring Commission will have as its main function to be in charge of supervising the progress that is being produced and will promote the correct application and execution of what is included in the Collaboration Agreement.

The Agreement has been signed by the President of the WTO Training Foundation (FFOMC), Dr. Serafín Romero, and the President of the Spanish Association of Biosimilars - Biosim, Joaquín Rodrigo.

Based on this collaboration, last June the edition of the "Guide to Biosimilar Medicines for Physicians" took place, prepared by the Spanish Association of Biosimilars aimed at providing doctors with complete knowledge of biosimilar medicines, with the intention of to improve their clinical capacities through the use of the best therapeutic alternatives oriented to patients. The Guide deals in its various chapters with aspects such as the characteristics of these drugs, their regulatory guarantees in terms of quality, effectiveness and safety, the new therapeutic possibilities they offer, and everything related to their possible presence in clinical decisions.

The FFOMC is a non-profit institution, dedicated to the development, promotion and cultural, educational-teaching and scientific development of registered doctors in Spain. It has a Virtual Campus with which it intends to provide professionals with a tool for access to continuous medical training without the geographical and time limitations that face-to-face training presents. Among his latest training activities, it is worth highlighting a series of courses dedicated to Palliative Care, Health Mediation, Oncology in Primary Care, Prevention and Treatment of Smoking; and geriatric syndromes, among others.

Biosim, the Spanish Association of Biosimilars, is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to foster and promote scientific, business and technical interests common to the Spanish biosimilar medicines industry, for which it welcomes and represents all pharmaceutical companies established in Spain that research, develop, manufacture and/or market biosimilar medicines, being able to form part of it, both laboratories that are already operating in the biosimilars market and original product companies that have put, or are going to put a biosimilars division launched; be it for research, development, production or marketing.