Table 4 Overview of opportunities for Belgian policymakers based on the findings of this study

Product-related

• Make continued educational efforts for physicians to increase their awareness on cost-effectiveness and financial sustainability of healthcare

• Provide guidance in the electronic prescribing software on cost-effective prescribing choices, by making use of alerts or offering alternatives when lower value medicines are chosen

• Implement tailored prescribing targets (i.e., quota) for biosimilar medicines, in collaboration with the relevant scientific association(s)

Physicians’ personal

• Create tailored incentives (i.e., benefit-sharing) by considering differences in working environment, therapeutic area, and region

Healthcare system-related

• Stimulate KOLs to act as ambassadors for best-value biological medicines (including biosimilars), by involving scientific associations in policy discussions or decisions

• Align reimbursement modalities with the most recent clinical guidelines

• Reevaluate the reimbursement conditions regularly when the market situation changes upon loss of exclusivity or biosimilar market entry

• Create tangible and tailored benefit-sharing incentives that support quality of care

Patient-related

• Involve patient associations from the relevant therapeutic domain(s) when designing policy interventions in order to incorporate the voice of patients in policy frameworks

• Invest continuously in patient education on biological medicines with a focus on biosimilars, and disseminate information via Belgian patient associations

Related to the pharmaceutical company or brand

• Increase the transparency of pharmaceutical promotion that Belgian healthcare providers receive from the industry

• Develop updated guidelines to physicians and industry about patient support programs or value-added services