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.
Keywords: Antibodies, Biotherapeutics, Biopharmaceutical classification system, Living cells, Liquid formulations.
