By a more than 2-to-1 margin, GEN readers expect the rate of success for biologics in clinical development and approval will increase in coming years. More than half (57.4%) of respondents took that optimistic view, while 27.8% predicted the success rate will decrease, 12.2% believe it will remain relatively flat, and 2.6% were undecided.

Two studies published in recent weeks along with a pair of studies released over the past two years showcased pharma’s drift toward biologic development and provided evidence of the promise of large molecule drugs. In the most recent report, dated March 23, the U.K. law firm Withers & Rogers found that by 2009, biologics accounted for 60% of patents filed by the top 10 pharma companies and that the gap between filings for large and small molecules grew between 2007 and 2009. The studies suggested that biologics held better prospects than traditional small molecules of advancing from lab to clinic to market, though large molecule success rates in development phases have declined in recent years.

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