Cost of biologic drugs since 2018 (FOI)

​​​​Request

Please confirm how much of the Health and Community Services budget was spent on biologic drugs in each of the last five years.

Response

The attached table details Health and Community Services’ annual spend on biologic drugs (also referred to as biologics, biological therapeutics, or biologicals), from 2019 to 2023.

Annual Biologic Drug Spend 2019 - 2023.pdf​

Biological medicines are made or derived from a biological source. They are large, complex molecules, with examples including hormone therapies, insulin, vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. 

Use of biological medicines, including biosimilars, in clinical practice is well established and rapidly increasing for a broad range of acute and chronic conditions such as cancer, diabetes, neurological conditions, eye conditions, infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and skin conditions – this is not an exhaustive list, but gives an illustration of the wide range of conditions that can be treated with biological medicines.​