Biopharmaceuticals: Present and Prospects

Biopharmaceuticals include vaccines, bioengineering drugs, blood products, genetic engineering drugs, microecological preparations, and recombinant therapeutic proteins. They are intended for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human diseases. Biopharmaceuticals are delivered using different drug delivery methods which include nanoparticles, microparticles, jet injections, depot injections, and pumps. It can be administered orally or in injectable form. In recent years, most of the biopharmaceuticals including monoclonal antibodies are available as liquid formulations. The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases require the development of newer diagnostic tools and pharmacotherapeutic approaches. The traditional approach may take a long time to get a new lead, whereas the biotechnological applications may give highly specific antibodies which can minimize the time of the drug discovery process and these molecules may have high specificity. In the last few decades, many biopharmaceuticals have been approved for various indications including cancer treatment. Many countries consider the biopharmaceutical sector to be one of the most important industries for national growth. Biopharmaceuticals have wider applications and it is gaining much more attention clinically than conventional pharmaceuticals. The purpose of the chapter is to highlight the importance of biopharmaceuticals and their prospects.