A biopharmaceuticals which consists of sugars, proteins, nucleic acids, living cells, or tissues, is a medicinal product manufactured in extracted or semi-synthesized from biological sources like humans, animals, or microorganisms. It has the advantages of targeting only specific molecules, rarely causing the side effects associated with conventional small-molecule drugs, exhibiting high specificity and activity when compared with conventional drugs. Hence, since its introduction in 1982, biopharmaceutical drugs have revolutionized the treatment of a broad spectrum of diseases including cancers and metabolic disorders and are increasingly used in nearly all branches of medicine.
The emergence of biopharmaceutical products over the last few decades has revolutionized the fields of many specialties including rheumatology, gastroenterology, allergy and immunology, pulmonology, dermatology, and neurology. Biopharmaceuticals have multiple clinical functions and various advantages for disease therapy, prevention, and diagnosis.
Biopharmaceuticals are able to cure or treat diseases safely and effectively by demonstrating biological activity and perform specific functions by acting on the disease pathophysiology. Biopharmaceuticals are more complex in production, have multiple routes of administration and different pharmacokinetics when compared with chemical drugs. In addition, they have the advantages of high selectivity and low nonspecific toxicity. Examples of biopharmaceutical products and their applications are listed in table 1 [1,2].
A vaccine is the most important biopharmaceutical used for infectious disease prevention. It is available in different types encompassing recombinant, polysaccharide, toxoid, inactivated, and live attenuated vaccines. Biopharmaceuticals can potentially affect different pathways involved in the development of humoral and cellular immune responses to vaccines.
In addition to clinic significance in therapy and prevention, some biopharmaceuticals can be used to diagnose diseases. For example, radioisotope labeled HAp-based biomaterials can be used for diagnosis or tracking of the uptake by cancer cells.
Table. 1 Examples of biopharmaceutical products and their applications
| Biopharma product | Application | Biopharma product | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Insulin | Diabetes | Factor VIII | Hemophilia |
| Erythropoietin | Anemia | Tissue plasminogen activator | Bloot clot |
| Human growth hormone | Growth deficiency | Glucocerebroidase | Gaucher's disease |
| Interferon α | Hepatitis | Therapeutic antibodies | Cancer |
| Interferon β | Multiple sclerosis | Granulocyte colony stimulating factor | White blood cell |
Recent biotechnology approaches like genetic engineering and bioengineering help to develop novel biopharmaceutical products. To promote the further development of biopharmaceuticals:
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