Anti-TNFα in inflammatory bowel disease: from originators to biosimilars

Zhen Zeng; Hao Lin; Mingshan Jiang; Jing Yuan; Xi Li; Yongbin Jia; Li Yang; Hu Zhang

doi:10.3389/fphar.2024.1424606

Anti-TNFα in inflammatory bowel disease: from originators to biosimilars

Front Pharmacol. 2024 Jul 24:15:1424606. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1424606. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Zhen Zeng^#^{1

2

3}, Hao Lin^#^{1

2

3}, Mingshan Jiang^{1

2

3}, Jing Yuan^{1

2

3}, Xi Li^{3

4}, Yongbin Jia³, Li Yang¹, Hu Zhang^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Gastroenterology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
² Centre for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
³ Lab of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Frontiers Science Center for Disease-Related Molecular Network, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
⁴ General Practice Ward/International Medical Center Ward, General Practice Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

The introduction of anti-tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) biologics significantly innovated inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment and increased medical costs. The recent expiration of patents of some anti-TNFα biologics (such as infliximab and adalimumab) facilitated the development of biosimilars. Comparable pharmacokinetic, efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity profiles between anti-TNFα originators and biosimilars were demonstrated in different studies. Anti-TNFα biosimilars hold promise for reducing the high cost of biologics and increasing patient access to biologics. In this review, we outline the current data on the use of anti-TNFα originators and biosimilars in patients with IBD, with a focus on the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity profiles of infliximab and adalimumab biosimilars. The potential benefits, challenges, and future directions of anti-TNFα biosimilars are also discussed in the review.

Keywords: anti-TNFα; biologics; biosimilars; inflammatory bowel disease; originators.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported in part by the Sichuan International Science Foundation Project (Grant No. 2022NSFSC1363), the Sichuan Province Cadre Health Research Project (Grant No. GBKT22013), and the Science and Technology Foundation of Sichuan Province of China (No. 2023YFS0287).