Join Global Biosimilars Week
19-24 October 2026!
A global awareness initiative highlighting how biosimilars can contribute to making healthcare more accessible, affordable, and sustainable.
This year’s campaign emphasises expanding global understanding of the powerful, life-changing impact of biosimilar medicines.
To make participation easy, we’ve prepared a Social Media Toolkit with daily posts, suggested hashtags, and visuals you can customise. Download the Social Media Calendar and PNG files to add your logo and share them on your platforms. You can also find the editable graphics on CANVA.
Remember to tag us, we’ll engage and amplify your posts throughout the week!
Share it on your channels to help spread the word during #GlobalBiosimilarsWeek!
Visit the Global Biosimilars Week website for additional resources, graphics, and campaign updates.
Unlocking the full potential of biosimilars
Despite their proven value, the full benefits of biosimilars are not yet realised across Europe. Uptake remains uneven, meaning that many patients are still not fully benefiting from the access these medicines can provide.
Strengthening their adoption will require continued investment in supportive policies, healthcare infrastructure, and collaboration among stakeholders, including healthcare professionals, policymakers, and patient communities.
What are biosimilar medicines?
- Biosimilar medicines or biosimilars are biological medicines that contain essentially the same active substance as their originator. Although minor differences may exist, a biosimilar matches the originator in terms of quality, safety and efficacy.
- All originator biological medicines are patented. This means that once launched, for a period of time that varies, no other product with the same active substance can enter the market.
- When this term of exclusivity rights expires, new products with the same active substance can gain market access
Highly similar, with no clinically meaningful differences.
Why biosimilars matter?
More treatment options
Biosimilars can increase the number of treatment options available for patients.
Sustainable healthcare
They can help make healthcare systems more sustainable for future generations.
Wider access to care
Biosimilars may help more people across Europe get the care they need.
How biosimilars may be used in colorectal cancer care
Biosimilars may be used as part of colorectal cancer treatment, depending on your individual situation. Your healthcare team will discuss the most appropriate treatment option for you.
Treatment decision
Your healthcare team considers your individual situation.
Shared discussion
You can discuss the potential use of a biosimilar and ask Questions.
Medicine prescribed
If a biosimilar is considered appropriate, it may be prescribed.
Ongoing monitoring
Your treatment will be regularly reviewed, as with any medicine.
A biosimilar is not a generic medicine
Bilogical medicines are complex. Biosimilars are assessed through extensive comparison with an approved referent medicine.
What is the benefit of using a bevacizumab biosimilar?
For a patient, there is no additional treatment benefit or downside to using a (bevacizumab) biosimilar rather than the originator. Both types of products have undergone rigorous testing and comply with the same strict, high-standard safety and efficacy criteria set by the European Medicines Agency. However, as with all biosimilars, the availability of bevacizumab biosimilars to European health systems and hospitals offers several advantages for the patient community and society, as they contribute to more sustainable and affordable healthcare systems.
Biosimilars offer the opportunity for:
- funding new, innovative treatments for patients,
- using released resources to improve patient support programs,
- hiring additional nurses, psycho-oncologists or nutritionists in hospitals, or investing in new treatment and research
- helping reduce the waiting time to be treated
- more patients to have access to biological treatments
What is switching?
A change between two products with the same active substance is called switching. For example, switching occurs if you have been treated with the originator and your physician proposes to replace the originator with a biosimilar.
Switching does not result in treatment change. However, as with all medicines, you should discuss and decide with your physician your treatment and choose together the best option for you.
Remember you can always ask about anything you do not understand or seems unclear.