What is the difference between pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical

The biotechnology industry uses advances in genetics research to develop products for human diseases and conditions. Several biotech companies also use genetic technology to other ends, like the manipulation of crops. Biopharmaceuticals hold great promise for treating some of the most intractable medical conditions such as cancer and autoimmune disease.

The primary difference between biopharmaceuticals and traditional pharmaceuticals is the method by which the drugs are produced: The former are manufactured in living organisms such as bacteria, yeast and mammalian cells, whereas the latter are manufactured through a series of chemical synthesis. Biopharmaceuticals are primarily developed in both academic and industrial laboratories. The commercialisation process is often funded by venture capital firms for academic and start-ups or drug companies.

Biotech opportunities largely mirror those in the pharmaceutical industry. The key difference is that biotech firms are much more focused on research because they are still developing their initial products. Biotech firms tend to expand their marketing and sales forces when, and if a viable product nears FDA approval.

Biotech companies tend to be located in geographical clusters, often near prominent research universities. The largest concentration of biotech companies in Ireland are in Cork and Dublin as these areas have made an effort to focus on drawing biotech companies by devoting to finding resources for them.

Pharmaceutical companies, due to their larger size and diversified revenue base, are typically able to withstand setbacks and failures. Competition is more relevant and costly to pharmaceutical companies, creating a need for strong pipelines and non-organic revenues such as through mergers and acquisitions or alliances. Considering these issues can provide the basis for making a prudent investment. Grand View Research. Food and Drug Administration.

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Biotech vs. Pharmaceuticals: An Overview Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies both produce medicines, but the medicines made by biotechnology companies are derived from living organisms while those made by pharmaceutical companies generally have a chemical basis. Key Takeaways Biotechnology biotech companies derive their products from the extraction or manipulation of living organisms.

Pharmaceutical companies create medicines from chemicals and synthetic processes. In the world of investing, both are important industry sectors with very different risk profiles despite their broad similarities.

Article Sources. Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. Biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical products share many of the same handling requirements. For example, both must be stored in temperature-controlled environments.

Manufacturers must also ensure that storage facilities are thoroughly decontaminated. Biopharmaceutical products are prone to microbial contamination.

Those handling these delicate products must wear personal protective equipment, including goggles, lab coats, and face shields. Manufacturers must also activate microbial detection systems to limit contamination hazards. There are major differences in the sterilization and purification methods biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical manufacturers use.

However, all biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical products must follow a regimented purification process. In recent years, new innovations have changed the way manufacturers activate product purification.

One of the most promising innovations is centered around the removal of reaction byproducts. In processes that use a series of chemical reaction steps to synthesize the API, the removal of reaction byproducts, including color bodies and metals, is critical to produce high quality pharmaceuticals. The preferred methods for removing residual metal catalysts are distillation, crystallization, and precipitation.