In 2003, the European Medicines Agency introduced an adapted pathway for biosimilars, termed "similar biological medicinal products". This pathway is based on a thorough demonstration of "comparability" of the "similar" product to an existing approved product. Within the United States, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 created an abbreviated approval pathway for biological products shown to be biosimilar to, or interchangeable with, an FDA-licensed reference biological product. A major hope linked to the introduction of biosimilars is a reduction of costs to the patients and the healthcare system.