Born with a plastic spoon in their mouth? : substitution, interchangeability, and marketing of biosimilars

Biosimilar medicines have the potential to increase medicine access and bring cost savings to consumers, but uptake has been slow for a range of reasons. This article analyses one such reason, namely the potential for competitors' promotional materials to use certain terms with technical meanings, such as "interchangeable" and "substitution", in a misleading way. Against the backdrop of a flawed co-regulatory system for pharmaceutical marketing, the article identifies a need for clear regulatory statements about appropriate uses of such terms in pharmaceutical marketing and promotion.