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Committee adds biosimilar definition to House Bill 117; sponsors say substitution could reduce costs
Summary
Senate Health and Human Services adopted a committee amendment to House Bill 117 inserting a statutory definition of "biosimilar" and referencing the federal standard for interchangeable biological products; sponsors said the change could permit substitution under FDA guidelines and reduce drug costs.
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee adopted a committee amendment to House Bill 117 that inserts a statutory definition of the term “biosimilar” and points to the federal standard for interchangeable biological products, committee members said.
The amendment, identified in committee as 20251611S, specifies the federal cross‑reference and adds the definition into state statute. The presenting senator said the amendment “points to the proper section of US code that… allows for interchangeable biological products. 42 US code section 262(i)(3) is the one that we should be pointing to.” The senator also noted a typographical issue in the draft and said the committee would correct a missing quotation mark through the committee amendment process.
Sponsor comments and rationale: The sponsor told the committee that adding the definition aligns the state provision with existing federal terminology and could allow substitution of biosimilar products under Food and Drug Administration guidance, which the sponsor said may lower costs for patients. “There are a number of high priced, biosimilar products and working with some various folks around the industry, we feel that this could, by allowing substitution of these, under FDA guidelines… we could actually save people a lot of money,” the sponsor said.
Committee action: The committee moved and adopted the amendment by voice vote; Senator Birdsall was recorded as seconding the original motion to pass the bill and seconding the amendment. Committee members then moved to place the bill on the consent calendar for committee reporting.
What it does and next steps: The amendment adds a statutory definition of “biosimilar” that mirrors the federal interchangeable biologics standard and resolves a drafting typo identified during consideration. Sponsors said the bill, as amended, will next follow the committee’s normal transmittal path to the Senate calendar.
