A new publication from Sandoz and IQVIA, “Talking Biosimilars: Unlocking Patient Access Through Coordinated Action”, synthesizes the outputs of the ‘Talking Biosimilars’ event held at the World Health Summit in October 2025 and outlines recommendations for unlocking biosimilar access.
Biosimilars are not optional cost-cutting measures. They are an essential tool for managing the rapidly growing global burden of non-communicable diseases in an era of constrained healthcare budgets across countries.
The next decade presents a transformative opportunity for global healthcare, with approximately 110 biologic medicines expected to lose patent protection, ~80% of which are unlikely to face biosimilar competition. Addressing this ‘biosimilar void’ requires coordinated action from regulatory agencies, payers, healthcare systems, industry, and civil society.
A group of global health leaders* across mature and emerging markets in Egypt, Europe, and North America, outlined practical pathways forward: Egypt’s rapid regulatory and universal health insurance integration success, Ireland’s pioneering gain-sharing procurement model, and the United States’ accelerating FDA biosimilar approvals.
The evidence is clear: when regulatory streamlining, smart procurement, global standards and system readiness reforms align, biosimilar access accelerates dramatically, and patient lives improve.
*The expert panel included:
- E Prof. Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health & Population, Arab Republic of Egypt
- Antonella Cardone, CEO, Cancer Patients Europe
- Francesca Colombo, Head of the Health Division, OECD
- Isabel Mestres, CEO, City Cancer Challenge (C/Can)
- Rebecca Guntern, Chief Commercial Officer, Sandoz
- Aurelio Arias, Director, EMEA Thought Leadership, IQVIA.
Read the full report here.
