Identification and development of new biopharmaceuticals
Werner, R.G.
Arzneimittel-Forschung 48(5): 523-530
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0004-4172 PMID: 9638321 Document Number: 491732
The 34 protein based biopharmaceuticals which are presently on the market reached a total sale of 10 Mio dollar sign in 1996. Out of 500 biopharmaceutical under investigation, 200 are already in clinical trial programs. Although biopharmaceuticals have good records in efficacy and drug safety, biologics are still competitive due to economic reasons. In future in some cases gene therapy or oligonucleotide antisense therapy as modern technologies for in vivo protein synthesis regulation will be an alternative to protein replacement therapy. All three therapeutic approaches will be supported by the human genome project which will give new hints on genetic disorders related to specific diseases. The identification of new therapeutic developments will be on the DNA-, RNA- and protein level. The decision whether the therapeutic principle will be gene therapy or whether the differential genomic analysis will provide just a research tool for high through-put screening of small molecules will be decided upon the evaluation of the results of the genomic projects and the research strategy of the company.