Types of Biologic Drugs

• Biologic drugs, also known as biologic agents or biological agents, may include antibodies, interleukins, and vaccines.
  
  

Antibodies

• Antibodies are specialized immune proteins that fight against infection and its ill effects. An example would be monoclonal antibodies used to treat cancer, which are laboratory-produced molecules that can attach to certain defects in your cancer cells.
  
  

Interleukins

• Interleukins are a group of cytokines that are expressed by white blood cells, or leukocytes. Interleukins are used to make biologic drugs to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and M.S.
  
  

Vaccines

• Vaccines are biological compounds that help improve immunity to certain diseases. An example of a vaccine biological compound would be a flu shot.
  
  

Future of Biologic Drugs

• Biologic drugs look promising for the future due to better long-term outcomes and fewer side effects. In 2009, biologic drugs are costly but increased demand should drive down their price in the future.