What is the Future of biomedicines? Interview with GE's, Dr Günter Jagschies

In the build-up to this year’s BioProcess International European Summit in Düsseldorf (14th-15th April), we caught up with Keynote Speaker, Dr Günter Jagschies of GE Healthcare to discuss current trends in biomanufacturing and the future for traditional and non-traditional biologics might hold.

Q:What general trends do you see in the biotech industry?
G: At the moment, the industry still has different compartments; some manufacturers
are making recombinant proteins and others are producing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), for example. Increasingly that is diversifying. Now, a MAb is no longer simply a MAb; it keeps its functionality, but the molecule’s structure may change. The industry is developing bispecific MAbs, single-chain antibodies, antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), various kinds of fusion proteins and so on.

Q:And what about the market for more traditional biologics?
G: At the same time, we are seeing a revitalization of the vaccine industry. Ebola has recently reminded us that we still need to cover many more infectious disease threats, but also there is a new hope that vaccines could become a profitable undertaking for companies.
Everyone understands that vaccines are so much more cost efficient for healthcare because they prevent disease rather than therapeutically treat patients. For example, the success of Prevnar (Pfizer) and Gardasil (Merck) have shown that manufacturers can, in a relatively short time, get a blockbuster vaccine. And they have shown it can be done with a modular, platform approach, whereas in the past you needed a new manufacturing plant and platform for every vaccine coming to market.

"We are seeing a revitalisation of the vaccine industry”

The industry also is experiencing a consolidation of the vaccines industry (e.g.,Novartis and GSK).Research is quite active: people are modifying and improvingtheir processes to target some of those 30-40 diseases that don’t yet have a treatment. Currently, a vaccine for Dengue fever seems to be close to market and will meet a very significant demand.
The industry is also facing greater competition. Biosimilars are coming, as evidencedby the approval for Celltrion’s Remsima (infliximab) as the first biosimilar MAb filed with the FDA. It’s to be expected that the selling price pressure will increase. Then even more focus will be on manufacturing and R&D spending.

Dr. Günter Jagschies, Senior Director of Customer Relations,GE Healthcare,will deliver a presenation on the Future of Biomedicines  at this year’s BioProcess International Europe Summit in Düsseldorf, on Tuesday 14th April 2015.

To read the full interview please visit: www.bpi-eu.com