Efforts of the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency of Japanese regulatory agency in supporting biosimilar development and disseminate information.

Information on biosimilars was rarely disseminated on the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) website of the Japanese Regulatory Agency until the fiscal year (FY) 2022. Therefore, the PMDA website for biosimilars was created in FY 2023. This study confirmed the PMDA website for biosimilars and surveyed information about the approval fiscal year, brand name, indications at the initial approval, type of biopharmaceuticals, and disease area at the initial approval based on review reports and the "List of Approved Products." The PMDA website for biosimilars provides information on the definition of biosimilar, approved biosimilar products, related guidelines and notifications, learning videos, presentation material, and publication articles. As of March 2024, 35 biosimilars were approved in Japan based on the following 18 active pharmaceutical ingredients: somatropin, epoetin-alfa, filgrastim, infliximab, insulin glargine, rituximab, etanercept, trastuzumab, agalsidase beta, bevacizumab, teriparatide, darbepoetin-alfa, insulin lispro, adalimumab, insulin aspart, ranibizumab, pegfilgrastim, and ustekinumab. The disease area comprised nine patterns: rheumatology, oncology, hematology, gastroenterology, dermatology, endocrinology, ophthalmology, bone, and inborn errors represented in numbers and percentages for each pattern: 12 (23.1%), 9 (17.3%), 8 (15.4%), 7 (13.5%), 7 (13.5%), 5 (9.6%), 2 (3.8%), 1 (1.9%), and 1 (1.9%), respectively. This website provides various information regarding biosimilars in Japan. It will be more important to effort the understanding and education for the healthcare providers and patients on biosimilar regulations. Moreover, information should be disseminated through the PMDA website of biosimilars to accelerate and ensure transparency regarding regulatory approvals and biosimilar regulations.