The American College of Rheumatology’s new white paper, “The Science Behind Biosimilars — Entering a New Era of Biologic Therapy,” encourages physicians to begin integrating biosimilars in patient treatment, where appropriate.

“Biosimilar integration into prescription patterns provides more options for patients — hopefully at a lower cost — and improves access to more patients who could benefit,” says lead author S. Louis Bridges Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Anna Lois Waters Endowed Chair and director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, in a news release. “Faculty members in our division are leading national discussions on biosimilars in the treatment of rheumatic diseases, and we’re proud to be a part of this.”

While biosimilar medications are newer to the American marketplace, they have been successful in their usage in other countries for many years. Currently, the FDA has approved nine biosimilar medications, six of which are used to treat rheumatic diseases including psoriatic arthritis.