Features in 2010

First-generation epigenetic drugs have proven clinically useful in several hematological cancers. But newer enzyme inhibitors in the pipeline aim to be more selective and promise to broaden the portfolio of therapeutic uses.

Last year, the biologics sector managed single-digit growth in the United States, driven mainly by products indicated for oncology, diabetes and autoimmune disorders. Lurking on the horizon, though, are challenges, such as pricing, competition and follow-on molecules.

Over the past four years, several new types of experimental biologic treatment have received commercial registration, but the emergence of biosimilars represents the biggest shift in the biologic approval landscape.

The public biotech sector sustained more losses in 2009, but the year ended on a positive note, and the industry has regained its footing.

Improvements in technology are making proteomics research less descriptive and more analytic, but the field has yet to deliver on its aspirations.

A survey of entrepreneurial collaborations among health biotech firms in developing countries reveals a surprisingly high level of collaboration but a lack of emphasis on new or improved health biotech products and processes.

Combinations of cytostatic treatments and chemotherapies currently in clinical practice offer limited hope for patients whose cancers have spread. But increasing understanding of the processes underlying metastasis may one day provide other therapeutic options.