The biopharmaceuticals market continues to heat up. In short, every aspect of this fast-growing industry is trending upward. Product pipelines are increasingly full, companies are adding staff and R&D expenditures are increasing and that means process lines and production facilities are expanding.
Sales revenues and profits are rapidly rising. According to industry insiders, growth has exceeded 12% annually, and this trend is poised to continue or increase further. Perhaps more tellingly, the proportion of new biopharmaceutical drugs under development now accounts for more than 40% of large manufacturers’ R&D budgets.
Clearly, the age of biopharmaceuticals is upon us. These complex molecules which often feature enhanced specificity, reduced side effects and better targeting are primarily important in oncology and rheumatology. But numerous other branches of medicine are increasingly impacted by these novel drugs. Examples include cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology and neurology, among others.
These drugs often fill niches where no effective treatments existed previously. While traditional drugs often feature entirely synthesized, relatively simple molecules, biopharmaceuticals are often highly complex molecules. These include hormones, interferons, growth factors or vaccines. Follow-on products, including biosimilars, biogenerics, “biobetters” and cellular and gene therapies also fall under the increasingly expansive umbrella of biopharmaceuticals.
Production Capacity Is Also Rising
The increase in facilities, production lines and production capacity dovetails with the current annual revenue growth of about 12%. Single-use facilities, featuring 2,000 L bioreactors, are now common. These facilities are expected to significantly scale up, as additional 2,000 L bioreactors and process lines are added in parallel.
Finally, one additional trend involves a move away from microbial bioprocessing to mammalian bioprocessing. While microbial processing tends to be quicker and somewhat cheaper, the writing is clearly on the wall: The industry is increasingly turning to mammalian bioprocessing.
Of course, sophisticated bioprocessing requires sophisticated and highly specialized processing equipment. Microfluidizer® technology is proud to be an industry leader in this exciting, fast-growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry.
Our homogenizers/processors excel at the demanding tasks required by the emerging biopharmaceutical manufacturing industry, which is why so many leading, globally recognized corporations have embraced our superior processing equipment for every aspect of drug development and production. In fact, nearly two-thirds of the many thousands of Microfluidizer® processors in use worldwide are presently engaged in the pursuit of novel or established biopharmaceuticals.
If your company has yet to delve into this exciting new arena, there is no time like the present. In a word, biopharmaceuticals clearly represent the future of advanced medicine.
For more information about how you can join the biopharmaceuticals revolution using the world’s leading processing equipment, contact us here or fill out our Request-a-Quote form. Our knowledgeable professionals stand ready to assist you.
Topics:
Biopharmaceutical