PhRMA Releases Comprehensive Biologics Pipeline Report

Biopharmaceutical companies have 907 biologic medicines and vaccines in development, according to a recent report from The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Biologic medications account for one-third of annual drug approvals in the United States, according to a new report released this week from The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

The report provides a comprehensive overview of biopharmaceutical products that are currently in human clinical trials or under review by the FDA. The nearly 90-page document breaks down the drugs in development by disease state and includes information for each drug on proposed product name, sponsor, product category, indication, and development phase.

Among the products featured in the pipeline report are vaccines (including genetically modified therapeutic vaccines), monoclonal antibodies, blood products, cell therapies, and gene therapies. The report found that the most active areas of research are monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and vaccines, with 338 and 250 in development, respectively.

In an accompanying editorial, PhRMA stressed the importance of maintaining the 12-year period of data exclusivity currently granted to medications manufactured through biotechnological processes. "In order to realize the full potential of biologics, it is essential that the United States maintain strong policy and regulatory environments that help foster the discovery and development processes,” the editorial stated.

To learn more about the science of biologics, watch the below video featuring Joe Miletich, senior vice president of research and development at Amgen: