Biotherapies, or biomedicines, are defined by their mode of production: a biotherapy is produced by a cell or a micro-organism, and is therefore bioproduced. As a result, the challenges of production, safety and analysis of biomedicines are totally different from those of chemically synthesized small molecules.
The emergence of different types of biotherapies has necessitated the introduction of new regulatory frameworks, as well as the creation of an industry in its own right. industry in its own right. In this highly innovative ecosystem, the classification of biomedicines is constantly evolving: at present, they are divided into four main categories, presented below.
Vaccines, biomedicines biotherapies
Antibodies & Therapeutic proteins
They include all forms of protein: antibodies, recombinant proteins, peptidespeptides, etc.
Vaccines
They can be prophylactic or therapeutic. All types of vaccine (DNA, mRNA, inactivated, oncolytic, etc.) fall into this category.
Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs)
They have emerged more recently than the therapeutic proteins. Cell & gene therapies (e.g. CAR-T cells) and tissue regeneration technology are all part of the ATMPs category.
The latest innovations
Some biotherapies don’t fit into the above three categories, but the therapeutic hope they represent is very strong: for example, microbial therapy, such as antibacterial phage therapy.
A new market, new challenges
Biomedicines are a relatively new class of molecules in comparison with small chemical molecules: in 2022, they accounted for just 4% of marketed drugs.
However, the market for biologics is growing rapidly, and is expected to reach $600 billion by 2026. This trend is illustrated by a 64% increase in the number of biomedicines under development worldwide between 2019 and 2022. In 2024, Biotherapies account for 60% of products under development.
Biopharmaceuticals have opened up new horizons, representing a market of the future and a hope for the treatment of many diseases.
of molecules under development worldwide are biopharmaceuticals
23,692 products
6,294 companies
Despite the small number of molecules on the market, biopharmaceuticals account for 32% of drug sales: this high proportion in terms of sales is explained by higher sales prices than for small molecules.
With the coming boom in biopharmaceuticals to treat an ever-increasing number of pathologies, these costs will be unsustainable for healthcare systems. The need to reduce development and production costs for biologics makes biomanufacturing a major priority for the sector.
The French industry
Asassociation of the French biopharmaceutical industry, MabDesign’s aim is to structure the sector, from RD through biomanufacturing to market launch. We therefore list all the companies and individuals involved in the sector as exhaustively and accurately as possible.
The French biotherapeutics ecosystem is a rich and innovative one, with over a thousand structures, from research institutions to biotech companies. The industry’s players are spread across the whole of France, with two driving regions for historical reasons: Île-de-France and Auvergne-Rhônes-Alpes.
The industry’s main challenge is to meet future needs in an innovative, fast-growing sector that is constantly evolving.
1,152 structures in France
Scroll over the regions to see the distribution of stakeholders (%)
The French industry includes 267 biotech/pharma companies, developing biomedicines.
These companies are supported by 747 companies offering a full range of services: suppliers, bioanalysis, CRO, CDMO, etc.
The French biomedical pipeline is rich, with over 929 projects in development, 44% of which are currently in clinical phase. In terms of product types, French biotechs are developing products across the entire spectrum of biotherapeutics, with antibodies and MTIs leading the way.
France's biomedical pipeline: 929 projects and 585 unique products in development
The European industry
Biotechs on the European continent develop 20% of the world’s biotherapies, compared with 43% on the North American continent. The European ecosystem is driven by 4 leading countries: the UK, France, Germany and Switzerland.
Therapeutic antibody and protein formats account for the majority of products under development. As with vaccines and cell therapies, the majority of products are in clinical phases. Gene therapies, a less mature technology accounting for 18% of products in development, are three-quarters in pre-clinical or discovery development.
According to our analysis, France has been the 2nd European country in terms of biomedicines under development for over 12 months now, having long been neck-and-neck with Germany and Switzerland.
Biomedicines pipeline in Europe: 5405 projects , and 3476 unique products in development
Biopharmaceuticals in development (top 10 countries, projects)
Data update date: July 2024
