Efficacy and safety of militizumab and biosimilar drugs

With the widespread use of biological drugs, biosimilars (biosimilars) have gradually become an important means of controlling medical costs. In the field of IL-23 targeted drugs, there is currently no biosimilar drug that is completely equivalent to Mirikizumab on the market. However, in comparison with other marketed IL-23 inhibitors (such as Guselkumab, Risankizumab) or IL-12/23 inhibitors, Milikizumab has demonstrated unique clinical value.

In terms of efficacy, militizumab, as a highly specific drug targeting the IL-23p19 subunit, has stable and superior performance in terms of clinical remission rate, mucosal healing rate and improvement in quality of life. Some studies have shown that its short-term response speed after induction therapy is slightly higher than that of some similar drugs, and it has better sustained remission capabilities. Compared with some biosimilar drugs, which have weak changes in efficacy due to differences in production processes, Militizumab, as an original drug, has clear quality control standards, and its biological activity and immunogenicity are more controllable.

In terms of safety, militizumab has a relatively low incidence of adverse reactions. The most common side effects are mild injection site reactions, upper respiratory tract infections, mild headaches, etc. Most of them are reversible and do not require discontinuation of treatment. In contrast, some biosimilar drugs may have slight structural differences that may lead to enhanced immune response, emergence of drug resistance or an increase in neutralizing antibodies, affecting the sustainability of efficacy. Although biosimilar drugs usually undergo rigorous comparative studies to ensure equivalence, in actual clinical practice, patients' trust and compliance with the original drug are often higher, especially among long-term drug users.

To sum up, militizumab is in a leading position in the currentIL-23 targeted therapy system, and it has advantages in terms of durability of efficacy, safety and patient satisfaction. Although biosimilar drugs may be launched in the future, in the short term, militizumab is still one of the preferred options for the treatment of immune diseases such as moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, especially suitable for individual patient groups pursuing high efficacy and safety.

Reference materials:https://omvoh.lilly.com/