Driving biosimilar adoption through collaboration
Biosimilars are highly similar versions of authorised biological medicines (originator products).
These can be marketed once the originator product’s market protection period has expired. They offer the same clinical benefits as the original product, but typically at lower cost. This creates significant savings opportunities for the NHS while maintaining patient outcomes and quality of care.
Introducing a collaborative Biosimilar Taskforce
In 2025, we introduced a new collaborative Biosimilar Taskforce to address this potentially transformative area. The taskforce coordinates activity across the system , optimise biosimilar uptake and reduce barriers to market entry.
The taskforce brings together four major organisations across health and care – the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), NHS England (NHSE) and Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). Through strategic coordination, we're ensuring that regulatory decisions, clinical guidance and commissioning activity work together seamlessly for the benefit of patients.
Why does this matter?
When system partners work in isolation, opportunities are missed. Strategic alignment means faster patient access, better value for the NHS and a clear signal to the market that biosimilars are a priority. For a health system facing unprecedented financial pressures, joint working and collective impact can support the system to meet financial sustainability.
In the UK, we are a world leader in the adoption of biosimilar and generic medicines. Biosimilars are not only vital for generating significant savings for the NHS, but also for expanding access, so that more patients can benefit from effective treatments sooner.
What have we achieved so far?
Building the foundations
We started by establishing robust programme infrastructure to enable the four organisations to work as a single, coordinated team rather than separate entities.
A quarterly literature scan now keeps taskforce members informed of the latest biosimilar research. This helps ensure our decisions are always grounded in current evidence. We've also identified key generic and biosimilar medicines coming off market protection.
Aligning our work for maximum impact
We mapped the biosimilar pipeline of products expected to enter the UK market against current and future NICE guidance activity. This allowed us to identify key opportunities where coordinated action will deliver the greatest effect.
Delivering in practice: the Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD) pilot
Our first focused delivery area is the aflibercept biosimilars for nAMD.
This pilot involves exploring options to support the uptake of biosimilars, using aflibercept as the first pilot biosimilar. Current guidance on biosimilars may be a potential barrier to uptake. This pilot will provide valuable insights and safety information to enable us to change the MHRA guidance if appropriate.
The aim is to have an efficient process for enabling the earlier uptake of biosimilar medicines in secondary and specialist care. NICE guidance could then be updated to ensure that there is a consistent system message. It's a practical test of whether our aligned approach can accelerate uptake in the real world.
Raising the profile
The taskforce featured in Minister Karin Smyth's (Minister of State at the Department of Health and Social Care ) speech at the Medicines UK Conference in July 2025. This signalled to industry and stakeholders that cross- sector collaboration on biosimilars is a priority and demonstrates what we've achieved so far.
What's next?
Our immediate priorities build directly on this foundation.
We're assessing the biosimilar and generics pipeline to identify further scope for collaboration. And we're preparing to scale our approach, using lessons learned from nAMD and applying this to the next wave of biosimilar opportunities with even greater coordination and impact.
Why this matters for the future
In a short time, the taskforce has demonstrated what's possible when government organisations work as one system.
By aligning NICE guidance updates, NHSE commissioning activity and MHRA regulatory decisions, we're accelerating access to cost-effective medicines, improving population health and delivering better value for taxpayers.
Looking ahead, the biosimilar taskforce will become a strategic cornerstone of the NICE Whole Lifecycle Approach programme, the 10-Year Health Plan and the drive for rapid uptake of biosimilars. This evolution ensures that policy, commissioning and guidance continue to work hand-in-hand – creating a system that's greater than the sum of its parts.