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Committee hears bill to expand pharmacist substitution of biosimilars; proponents tout savings, patient groups raise cost-sharing concerns
Summary
The House Health Care and Wellness Committee heard testimony on SB 5594 to add biosimilars to existing pharmacist substitution rules and allow carriers to require a biosimilar trial beginning Jan. 1, 2027. Supporters said it will lower drug costs; patient advocates warned substitution could raise out-of-pocket costs without formulary fixes.
The House Health Care and Wellness Committee heard testimony Feb. 10 on Senate Bill 5594, which would add biosimilars to state rules that let pharmacists substitute therapeutically equivalent products and allow health carriers to require patients to try a biosimilar before covering an equivalent branded biologic starting Jan. 1, 2027.
Kim Weidner, staff to the committee, summarized the bill and said it would fold biosimilars into provisions that today apply to interchangeable biological products or generics. Under the bill, a pharmacist could substitute a therapeutically equivalent drug or interchangeable biological product unless the prescriber indicates the prescription ‘may not be substituted,’ and substitution would be permitted only when the patient’s out-of-pocket cost for the interchangeable product…
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