A new data visualization tool launched by France’s national health insurance fund aims to increase the use of biosimilar medications, potentially lowering healthcare costs and improving patient access to vital treatments. The tool, called VisuBiosim, provides an interactive way to explore prescription data for biosimilars used in outpatient settings.
VisuBiosim is now available on Data ameli, the French health insurance system’s open data platform. The platform allows users to download interactive data visualizations and databases in various formats. This initiative comes as healthcare systems worldwide seek strategies to manage rising pharmaceutical expenses whereas maintaining quality of care.
Biosimilar medications are designed to be highly similar to existing biologic drugs, offering the same quality, effectiveness, safety, and bioavailability. According to the Caisse nationale de l’assurance maladie (Cnam), biosimilars contain the same active substance and pharmaceutical form as their reference biologic counterparts.
The Cnam emphasizes that increasing the prescription of biosimilars could lead to significant savings, with prices averaging 30% lower than those of the original biologic drugs. Beyond cost reduction, wider biosimilar adoption may as well facilitate prevent drug shortages and enhance treatment accessibility.
The new tool is intended to help hospitals and healthcare professionals better understand biosimilar prescription patterns and identify opportunities for increased utilization. It provides data on prescription rates, initiation rates, the number of boxes reimbursed, and the distribution between biosimilar and reference medications.
VisuBiosim allows healthcare facilities to compare their data with national and regional benchmarks for similar institutions, broken down by therapeutic class and international common denomination. This comparative analysis can help identify areas for improvement and inform targeted interventions.
The data is based on information from the Système national d’information inter-régimes de l’assurance maladie (Sniiram), France’s national health insurance information system, and covers a two-year period. The tool is designed to support both hospital administrators and regional health agencies in their efforts to promote biosimilar use and optimize treatment access.
Specifically, the tool displays the potential percentage of patients who could switch to a biosimilar, the number of biosimilar and reference drug boxes reimbursed, and the amount reimbursed for each type of medication. This detailed information aims to empower stakeholders to create informed decisions about prescribing practices and resource allocation.
