Biopharmaceuticals

Book excerpt: The latest edition of this highly acclaimed textbook, provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the science and medical applications of biopharmaceutical products. Biopharmaceuticals refers to pharmaceutical substances derived from biological sources, and increasingly, it is synonymous with 'newer' pharmaceutical substances derived from genetic engineering or hybridoma technology. This superbly written review of the important areas of investigation in the field, covers drug production, plus the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of action together with the biotechnology of major biopharmaceutical types on the market or currently under development. There is also additional material reflecting both the technical advances in the area and detailed information on key topics such as the influence of genomics on drug discovery.