Exploring the link between physicians’ familiarity and biosimilar prescribing in Thailand

Authors

Ekapong Kachai, Drug Information and Consumer Protection Center, Center of Excellence in Pharmacy Practice and Management Research Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus, Pathum Thani, ThailandFollow
Chaoncin Sooksriwong, Drug Information and Consumer Protection Center, Center of Excellence in Pharmacy Practice and Management Research Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus, Pathum Thani, ThailandFollow
Wanruchada Katchamart, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, ThailandFollow
Tuangrat Phodha, Drug Information and Consumer Protection Center, Center of Excellence in Pharmacy Practice and Management Research Unit, Faculty of Pharmacy, Thammasat University, Rangsit Campus, Pathum Thani, ThailandFollow

Abstract

Background: Despite the availability of various biosimilars in Thailand, the link between physicians’ familiarity and biosimilars prescribing practice remains still unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to find the association between physicians’ familiarity and biosimilars prescribing practice among physicians in Thailand.

Methods: This research adopted an extended analysis framework, utilizing survey data from a pilot study on the surveillance of Thai physicians regarding biosimilar uptake. The familiarity with biosimilars among respondents was evaluated.

Results: The result showed that 82 respondents were included in the study. There was 79.3% of respondents indicated prescribing biosimilars. Overall, most respondents (75.6%) showed an “adequate” level of familiarity with biosimilars, particularly their definition (87.8%). However, more than 60% of respondents showed misunderstanding about extrapolation of indications and the “NBS” (New Biosimilar) letter code in drug licenses. Of all baseline characteristics, the study showed that gender, medical specialty, and experience in prescribing biosimilars were very strong association with the observed measures of familiarity level significantly (P < 0.05). Selfassessed familiarity with biosimilars showed a statistically significant association to the observed measures of familiarity level as well (P < 0.05) but only small effect.

Conclusion: There was an association between physicians’ familiarity level and biosimilars prescribing practice in Thailand. The proportion of biosimilar prescribing obtained from this study is an important parameter for the further research of budget impact. Although most of respondents had adequate level of familiarity with biosimilars, the study revealed several gaps in familiarity that need to be educated. The finding can lead to the development of policy intervention on physicians’ familiarity and national budget impact analysis. Keywords: Biosimilar, budget impact, familiarity,

DOI

10.56808/3027-7922.3034

Recommended Citation

Kachai, Ekapong; Sooksriwong, Chaoncin; Katchamart, Wanruchada; and Phodha, Tuangrat (2025) "Exploring the link between physicians’ familiarity and biosimilar prescribing in Thailand," The Thai Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences: Vol. 49: Iss. 2, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56808/3027-7922.3034
Available at: https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/tjps/vol49/iss2/6