NICE has updated its guidance on the use of biosimilars within the NHS in England and Wales.
https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/evaluating-biosimilar-medicines
Whilst NICE acknowledge that biosimilars have the potential to offer the NHS considerable cost savings, especially as they are often used to treat long-term conditions they go on to state that NICE evidence summaries will use the brand names of the medicines because substitutability and interchangeability (of biosimilars) cannot be assumed.
They conclude that the decision regarding the choice of biosimilar or originator biologic for an individual patient rests with the responsible clinician in consultation with the patient.
This ultimately means that NICE do not believe that biosimilars are identical to their reference product and that the decision on whether to use use biosimilars is to be made at the local, physician level.