Table 1 Summary of two waves of policy interventions in Belgium to increase the uptake of biosimilars
Date of implementation | Policy intervention* | Focus |
|---|---|---|
January 2016 | Prescription target of 20% for biological naïve patients. In parallel, the government stated that transitioning from the reference to a biosimilar product is allowed and encouraged Monitoring of Belgian hospitals regarding compliance with the procurement legislation and uptake of biosimilars Circular letter on fair and competitive tendering to Belgian hospitals by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Affairs, with the aim to stimulate competitive procurement procedures for off-patent biologicals | Hospital and ambulatory Hospital Hospital |
December 2018–June 2019 | Information campaign on biosimilar medicines for healthcare providers and patients (December 2018) Financial incentive to stimulate the prescription of biosimilars for TNF-alpha inhibitors in the ambulatory setting (i.e. etanercept and adalimumab) (January 2019) Circular letter to Belgian hospitals to remind them to adequately apply the law on public procurement and the law on medicines (June 2019) | Hospital and ambulatory Ambulatory (only etanercept and adalimumab) Hospital |