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Abstract
Antibody-based therapies have a proven record of efficacy against many diseases. However, passive immunotherapy is presently underdeveloped in the field of infectious diseases. The emergence of new recombinant technologies for the generation of therapeutic antibodies provides significant opportunities for the development of effective antibody-based drugs. Obstacles to the broader use of antibodies as anti-infectives include a continuous emphasis in the field on the use of microbicidal chemotherapy, the fact that antibodies are usually pathogen-specific drugs with relatively small markets, expense of production, the necessity for early and accurate diagnosis prior to use and the complex logistics necessary for therapeutic use. Nevertheless, many opportunities for developing antibody-based drugs now exist in areas where the available antimicrobial therapies are inadequate. As reflected in patents published in the years 2000 – 2003, activity in this field is increasingly focused on novel antibody drug candidates and it is likely that, in the near future, several antibody reagents will be developed for clinical anti-infective use.