Move to generic arthritis drugs saves state €35m in a year
Gainshare initiative provided an incentive for hospitals to switch to biosimilar medicines as soon as originals had gone off patent
An initiative to move patients taking two expensive high-tech drugs onto cheaper “biosimilar” alternatives has saved the state €35 million in a year.
In 2019, the HSE introduced the Gainshare Initiative, which provided a financial incentive of €500 per patient to public hospitals and clinics to switch arthritis patients from expensive high-tech drugs Adalimumab and Etanercept onto biosimilar alternatives.
“This has resulted in more than 10,000 patients switching, and has achieved savings in excess of €35 million ...
