PhD Researcher
KU Leuven, Belgium
Yannick Vandenplas is a PhD researcher at the research unit for clinical pharmacology and pharmacotherapy at the University of Leuven (Belgium) since 2019. He graduated as a master in drug development at the faculty of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of Leuven three years ago. Since then, he has been working on his doctoral research entitled: A sustainable policy framework for best-value biological medicines in Belgium. During this four-year research project, several studies have been and will be conducted with the aim of formulating proposals for a more sustainable policy framework for best-value biologicals in Belgium. His research project is funded and supported by the Belgian national health insurer (RIZIV-INAMI) and concentrates on different aspects for a sustainable and balanced policy framework. The focus areas of this research project are understanding the Belgian market for off-patent biologicals, improving communication and education about biosimilar medicines towards patients and healthcare providers, exploring prescribing behavior of physicians, and providing guidance for pharmacists in selecting the best-value biological. Yannick has published several parts of his research project in international peer-reviewed journals during the past years. The desired outcome of this project will be to establish a set of policy recommendations for best-value biologicals in Belgium.