CaribbeanBiopharma.com

Subtle differences exist between the terms ‘Biologic‘, ‘Biopharmaceutical‘ and ‘Biotechnology-derived medicine‘. That said the terms are often used interchangeably to mean medicines which have been produced using biotechnological methods. This less accurate but more conventional definition sees this group of products encompassing, recombinant therapeutic proteins, monoclonal antibodies and even more recently, products based upon nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). Underpinning this still novel and rapidly evolving industry is the applied science of biotechnology. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in a 1999 paper posited that biotechnology was:

“…the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological agents to provide goods and services.” (OECD, 1999 cited in Paul and Lova, 2005:316)

Biotechnology is currently being employed in areas as diverse as food production, waste management, energy generation, pharmaceuticals (or more appropriately biopharmaceuticals), among others. Despite the wide array of biotechnological applications mentioned above, Caribbean Biopharma as the name suggests will seek to provide a forum for discussion of the fast-paced and increasingly relevant application of this science to the production of pharmaceuticals.

In particular the website aims to facilitate and foster discourse on biopharmaceutical-related issues with special relevance to health-care systems within the Caribbean region. This mandate although wide has been crafted very deliberately to facilitate fulsome exploration of the field as a whole and this could not reasonably be achieved by narrowing the scope of the website any further. While not limited only to these topics, it is expected that interactions will touch areas as diverse as:

Issues related to the application of biotechnology to the development of pharmaceuticals such as:

On reviewing this list one might be prompted to ask, “Why is this important?” Put simply, biopharmaceuticals are becoming an increasingly important part of the health-care sector and by all accounts this phenomenon is neither limited to the Caribbean nor is it likely to run its course in the short-term. Redwan (2007) in fact has suggested that given the rate at which biopharmaceuticals are currently gaining regulatory approval worldwide, they will likely represent some 50% of pharmaceutical approvals by 2015. In light of these estimates and given the marked increase in entries of recombinant products to the Caribbean region over recent years, there is a very real need for biopharmaceutical information now. What’s more the availability of biopharmaceutical information tailored to the needs of Caribbean-based health-care professionals is even scarcer. It is therefore my hope that Caribbean Biopharma will make a positive contribution to bridging this information gap.

In closing, despite heavy dependence on science and technology, biopharmaceuticals do not exist in a purely scientific realm devoid of real-world considerations. There is in fact a very diverse and complex business environment surrounding the production and supply of not only these products but pharmaceuticals as a whole.

Despite the overwhelming majority of biopharmaceutical jobs in the Caribbean being characterized as ‘non-manufacturing’ in nature, there are still a great many jobs in which persons currently outside the industry (or even in it) have very real interest. As such Caribbean Biopharma will further seek to provide information on the business of pharmaceuticals within the Caribbean by offering insights across the entire spectrum of industry roles.

I hope that we will be able to not only to hold your attention, but to stimulate your own thoughts on biopharmaceuticals enough to inspire your own contributions to the discussion.

Cheers.