Clinical and Socioeconomic Burden of Retinal Diseases: Can Biosimilars Add Value? A Narrative Review

Retinal diseases, such as neovascular age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion, pose a significant global burden on individuals, families, and healthcare systems. Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy has become the standard treatment for retinal diseases, improving clinical outcomes, while delaying disease progression. Although effective, biologics are associated with high costs, which can lead to underutilisation and, consequently, suboptimal patient treatment outcomes, further contributing to healthcare costs. Additionally, the expansion in the elderly population is predicted to significantly increase costs and burden on healthcare systems due to retinal diseases, requiring effective strategies and the utilisation of emerging technologies that are crucial public health priorities for tackling global vision impairment. Recently, anti-VEGF biosimilars have been approved and are expected to provide a cost-effective alternative, while providing equivalent efficacy and comparable safety, immunogenicity, and pharmacokinetic profiles as the reference product. The entry of biosimilars holds the promise of meeting some of these unmet needs, giving physicians and patients access to sustainable treatments that can provide cost-effective therapy, enabling savings to be reinvested into healthcare facilities. This article aims to review the impact of retinal diseases on clinical, social, and financial aspects of patient care, emphasising the potential value of biosimilars in ophthalmology.