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Highlights • Several new biosimilar medicines are continuously been introduced in the market. • Current oncologic biosimilars are epoetins, filgrastim, and monoclonal antibodies. • Cancer therapy is the major clinical application of biosimilars. • Pharmacovigilance is monitoring the safety and efficacy of approved biosimilars. This article provides an updated review of the biosimilar medicines approved for cancer therapy in the European Union (EU). First we discuss the most relevant aspects for the development and approval of biosimilar medicines. We then present the oncological biosimilar drugs currently used, which include epoetins (alpha and zeta), filgrastim, and monoclonal antibodies (rituximab, trastuzumab and bevacizumab). Among the clinical applications of biosimilar medicines, cancer therapy remains the main target area and more approved biosimilars are expected over the next few years, providing cost-effective drugs to more patients. Furthermore, comprehensive pharmacovigilance studies are going on, monitoring the marketed biosimilars, and providing more feasible information to clinicians regarding the safety and efficacy of these medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adherence to topical treatment has been less studied in comparison with systemic therapeutic regimens and is poorly understood. High-quality research on this area is essential to outline a strategy to increase medication adherence and clinical outcomes. For a more comprehensive understanding of this issue, a systematic review of the methodologies for topical treatment adherence evaluation in psoriasis was undertaken. Twenty one studies were selected from the literature which used six different adherence methodologies. Merely three studies used multiple adherence measurement methods. The most used method was questionnaire (44%) which was also associated with higher variability of the adherence results. One possible explanation is the lack of a validated questionnaire designed specifically for the evaluation of adherence to topical treatment. Only one method (medication weight) takes into consideration the applied dose. However, the estimation of the expected weight is complex, which renders this method, as used presently, less effective. The use of a dosing device could improve its accuracy and be helpful to clearly instruct the patients about the correct dose. As there is no single method that allows an accurate and complete assessment of adherence it is recommended to use a combination of methods, including self-report and medicines’ weight measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low therapeutic efficacy exhibited by conventional ophthalmic solutions owing to precorneal elimination of the drug, drainage by gravity, nasolacrimal drainage, conjunctival absorption, and the absence of controlled release and of bioadhesive properties, can be overcome by the use of in situ gelling systems. The combination in the same formulation of different in situ gelling polymers with different stimuli-responsiveness mechanisms exploiting the unique physicochemical characteristics of the ocular tissues is one such strategy that has produced improved results compared with conventional systems. As we discuss here, the recent use of biodegradable and biocompatible polymers in colloidal carrier systems has proved to be the most effective strategy, resulting in the exponential increase of the bioavailability of the ophthalmic drugs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]