| Chemical drugs |
Biologic drugs |
| Made by chemical synthesis |
Made by living cells |
| Defined structure |
Heterogeneous structure
Mixtures of related molecules |
| Easy to characterize |
Difficult to characterize |
| Relatively stable
No issue of immunogenicity |
Variable
Sensitive to environmental conditions
such as light and temperature
Issue of immunogenicity |
| Usually taken orally |
Usually injected |
| Often prescribed by a general practitioner |
Usually prescribed by specialists |
