Wisconsin, West Virginia Pass Biosimilar Substitution Laws

Wisconsin and West Virginia passed laws allowing pharmacists to substitute interchangeable biosimilars, bringing the total number of states with such laws to 40.

Wisconsin’s Senate Bill 575, signed last week by Gov. Scott Walker, authorizes pharmacists to dispense interchangeable biosimilars of biologicals except in cases where the prescriber opposes such a substitution. 

In a public hearing last year, State Senator Leah Vukmir (R), who sponsored the state senate version of the bill, said allowing such substitutions at the pharmacy level could save consumers as much as 20 percent.