Witty strategies to boost biosimilar sales, from pricing smart to digital wizardry. Pharma marketers, this one’s your secret weapon.
Biosimilars are having their moment. Cheaper, clinically equivalent, and increasingly in demand, they’re the generics of the biologics world—only with more drama and regulatory paperwork. But here’s the kicker: just because they’re scientifically sound doesn’t mean they sell themselves.
In fact, selling biosimilars can be more complex than explaining quantum physics to your grandmother. So, what’s the secret sauce behind successful biosimilar sales strategies?
Let’s take a witty walk through the wild west of pharmaceutical biosimilar marketing—and it’s more fun than a biotech buzzword bingo night.
1. Educate First, Sell Later: Why Biosimilar Sales Start With a Crash Course
Imagine trying to sell oat milk to someone who’s never heard of oats. That’s the biosimilar challenge in a nutshell.
Doctors, pharmacists, and even payers often hesitate to prescribe biosimilars, worrying about efficacy, safety, or regulatory grey zones. So, education is your golden goose. Create content that demystifies biosimilars like Amgen did with its “Biosimilars: Right Choice. Right Time.” campaign.
Consider offering:
- Interactive webinars featuring top immunologists
- Easy-to-digest (and FDA-compliant) explainer videos
- Infographics comparing originators to biosimilars
Real-life example? Sandoz offers a dedicated online Biosimilars Hub that breaks down data, regulatory paths, and clinical guidance in plain English.
Be like Sandoz. Be helpful, not hard-sell.
2. Target the Right Stakeholders (It’s Not Just Doctors)
Sure, physicians write the prescriptions, but they’re not flying solo. Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), hospital administrators, insurance companies—they all have a say.
So, build strategies around each player:
- For physicians: Emphasize clinical equivalence and real-world data.
- Payers: Focus on cost savings and formulary inclusion.
- And patients: Offer reassurance about safety, plus savings cards or co-pay support.
Take a cue from Samsung Bioepis. Their campaign around Brenzys (a biosimilar to Enbrel) focused not only on rheumatologists but also on reimbursement coordinators—smart move, big impact.
3. Price Wisely, But Don’t Race to the Bottom
Now, we know biosimilars are supposed to be the budget-friendly cousins of branded biologics. But if your only value proposition is “we’re cheaper,” you’ll find yourself in a pricing war faster than you can say infliximab.
Instead, offer value-based pricing:
- Bundled services (e.g., home nurse visits, patient adherence apps)
- Volume-based discounts for bulk orders
- Custom contracts with integrated support systems
Look at Zarxio, Sandoz’s biosimilar to Neupogen. It entered the market at a 15% discount, not 50%.
Why? Because it added training programs for nurses and hotline support for providers—value beyond the vial.
4. Make Your Digital Presence Unmissable
In 2025, if it’s not on Google, it basically doesn’t exist. That applies to biosimilars, too.
So build a digital ecosystem that informs, nurtures, and converts.
Tactics include:
- SEO-rich microsites for each product
- Retargeting ads for HCPs visiting your clinical pages
- Chatbots answering basic FAQs (HIPAA-compliant, of course)
A real-life standout? Coherus BioSciences’ Udenyca.com—it provides dosing info, reimbursement guides, and even downloadable PDFs for providers. Sleek, smart, searchable. Just how we like it.
5. Lean Into Real-World Evidence
Biosimilars walk a tricky tightrope—clinically identical yet legally distinct. No wonder prescribers want proof in real-world settings.
That’s where real-world evidence (RWE) steps in.
Run post-market studies. Publish observational trials. Highlight positive patient outcomes in actual clinical environments.
Pfizer’s Inflectra (biosimilar to Remicade) pulled this off brilliantly. By highlighting outcomes from over 70,000 patients, they squashed skepticism like a champ.
Bonus: Share those results on LinkedIn, in white papers, and during conference coffee breaks.
6. Customize Messaging by Therapeutic Area
Selling a biosimilar in oncology? Your tone, language, and urgency will differ greatly from a biosimilar in dermatology.
So, segment your messaging:
- Oncology = emphasize survival rates and clinical protocols
- Rheumatology = talk about flare-up control and mobility
- Ophthalmology = highlight long-term vision preservation
Look to Biocon Biologics, which tailors its product education by specialty and patient demographics. No cookie-cutter tactics here.
7. Don’t Forget the Power of Peer Advocacy
Sometimes the best marketing isn’t marketing—it’s word of mouth. Or in this case, word of respected peer-reviewed journal.
Encourage early adopters to speak at conferences. Publish case studies. Host advisory boards. Essentially, build a community of champions.
Example? Amgen’s Kanjinti (biosimilar to Herceptin) gained serious traction through oncologists sharing successful patient outcomes during ASCO presentations. People trust people—not product pamphlets.
8. Offer Patient-Centric Support Services
A biosimilar without a support program is like a smartphone without Wi-Fi—functional, but frustrating.
So offer:
- 24/7 helplines
- Multilingual prescription assistance tools
- Mobile apps to track doses and side effects
Coherus Solutions—provides free patient assistance, co-pay support, and even shipping help for its Udenyca product. A+ for accessibility.
The Verdict: No Silver Bullets, Just Smart Strategy
There’s no “one-size-fits-all” when it comes to biosimilar sales strategies. You need a blend of education, stakeholder engagement, pricing finesse, and good old-fashioned empathy.
Yes, biosimilars are here to stay. But whether they succeed depends entirely on how smartly—and creatively—you sell them.
So remember: don’t just be a marketer. Be a matchmaker between science, cost-effectiveness, and trust. The future of pharmaceutical biosimilar marketing depends on it.
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