Brown vetoes California biosimilars bill

California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a state bill that would have allowed retail pharmacists to automatically substitute biosimilars that FDA had approved as interchangeable with an original biological drug. In practice, the law, SB 598, would have applied only to self-injectable biologics. SB 598 would have allowed substitution of a biosimilar only if FDA declared the biosimilar interchangeable for the specific use; the prescriber had not expressly prohibited use of a biosimilar; the substitution was communicated to patients; the cost to the patient was the same or less than the innovator product; and the pharmacist notified the prescribing physician within five days. For biologics with an FDA-approved interchangeable biosimilar, the bill would have required a pharmacist to notify the physician whether the pharmacist dispensed the original biologic or a biosimilar. ...