Medical Biotechnology: Achievements Prospects and Perceptions

165 Pages·2005·0.83 MB·English

by  Albert Sasson

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Medical biotechnology
This book wasproduced as an outcome of the United NationsUniversity
Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) programme on Science Policy
for Sustainable Development.
The UNU-IAS was inaugurated in April 1996. Its mission statement is
‘‘Advancing knowledge and promoting learning for policymaking to
meet the challenges of sustainable development’’.
UNU-IAS conducts research, postgraduate education, and capacity de-
velopment,both in-houseandincooperationwithaninteractivenetwork
of academic institutions and international organizations. The Institute’s
research concentrates on exploring the key catalysts and drivers of sus-
tainabledevelopment,which oftendependon ourcapacitytoharmonize,
ifnotoptimize,theinteractionbetweensocietalandnaturalsystems.This
includes the development and use of new technologies and approaches;
the study of major trends and pressures such as urbanization, regional-
ization, and globalization; as well as the exploration of integrated
approaches to policy-making, decision-making, and sustainable develop-
ment governance.
UNU-IAS website: http://www.ias.unu.edu
Medical biotechnology:
Achievements, prospects and
perceptions
Albert Sasson
a
United Nations
University Press
TOKYOuNEWYORKuPARIS
6UnitedNationsUniversity,2005
Theviewsexpressedinthispublicationarethoseoftheauthoranddonotneces-
sarilyreflecttheviewsoftheUnitedNationsUniversity.
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CoverdesignbyRebeccaS.Neimark,Twenty-SixLetters
PrintedinHongKong
ISBN92-808-1114-2
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Sasson,Albert.
Medicalbiotechnology:achievements,prospectsandperceptions/Albert
Sasson.
p.;cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN9280811142(pbk.)
1.Biotechnology. 2.Biotechnologyindustries. 3.Pharmaceutical
biotechnology.[DNLM:1.Biotechnology.2.Technology,Pharmaceutical.
QV778S252m2005] I.Title.
TP248.2.S273 2005
660.6—dc22 2005018003
Contents
Foreword .............................................................. vi
1 Introduction: Biotechnology, bio-industry and bio-economy .... 1
2 Medical and pharmaceutical biotechnology: Current
achievements and innovation prospects ........................... 17
3 Regulatory issues ................................................... 45
4 The economics of pharmaceutical biotechnology and bio-
industry.............................................................. 49
5 Promising areas and ventures ...................................... 76
6 Medical and pharmaceutical biotechnology in some developing
countries ............................................................ 95
7 Social acceptance of medical and pharmaceutical biotechnology 114
8 The globalization of regulatory standards and ethical norms:
Solidarity with developing nations................................. 140
References............................................................. 143
Index................................................................... 149
v
Foreword
Since the advent of civilization, biotechnology has gradually become
commonplace around the world and it has developed into a global
multi-billion dollar industry. But, as with many new technologies, soci-
ety’s ability to manage, share and regulate the development and use of
modern biotechnology poses many challenges, opportunities and even
risks. The implications of modern biotechnology connote a broad cover-
age of sectors and issues such as human health, industrial applications,
foodsafety,andthelifeandhealthofplantsandanimals.Theriskscould
includeeverythingfromgeneticallymodifiedorganisms,alienspeciesand
introduced plant and animal pests, to the erosion of biodiversity, toxic
weapons of war, utilization of genetic resources and ‘‘mad cow’’ disease.
The UNU-IASProgrammeonSciencePolicyforSustainableDevelop-
mentiselaboratingthechallengesthatarefacingmodernsocietythrough
theadvancesinmodernbiotechnology.Itisdoingsobyexploringtheim-
plications,impacts,perceptionsandprospectsforensuringthesecureand
wise use in the future of products derived from modern biotechnology.
This book by Professor Albert Sasson, Medical Biotechnology:
Achievements,ProspectsandPerceptions,isthefirstinaseriesofpublica-
tions that UNU-IAS is undertaking to present these broad implications
of modern biotechnology and takes stock of the advances that have
been made in recent years.
The book first looks at the drivers of modern biotechnology develop-
ment in the United States, the European Union and Japan and at what
progress has been made in the development of biotechnology to fight
vi
FOREWORD vii
major global health concerns such as Ebola fever, the human immuno-
deficiency virus, the SARS virus and the Avian flu virus, before turning
to some of the regulatory and public perception concerns. The book also
provides a state of the art analysis of the progress of selected developing
countries in the development of their own biotech industries. Finally,
Professor Sasson examines some of the most controversial areas of mod-
ern biotechnology, including issues such as stem cell research and gene
therapy and some of the ethical issues they raise.
Thefindingsofthisbookareavaluablecontributiontothestateofour
knowledgeaboutmodernbiotechnology,totheUNU-IASeffortstoraise
awareness among policy makers and stakeholders, and to educating the
public at large about the greater implications and prospects concerning
the advances of this rapidly growing new technology.
A. H. Zakri
Director, UNU-IAS
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