Journal profile · Immunology
BioDrugs
ISSN 1173-8804 · eISSN 1179-190X · Springer International Publishing · NEW ZEALAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1994
BioDrugs: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 8.52; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,190; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 61 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
BioDrugs is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Biosimilars and Bioanalytical Methods, Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research and Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies, together about 32.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
BioDrugs covers the development and therapeutic application of biotechnology-based pharmaceuticals and diagnostic products for the treatment of human disease. The Journal includes: Definitive reviews on topics relating to the development and use of biotechnology in healthcare and the management of disease. Systematic reviews that collate empirical evidence to answer a specific research question, using explicit, systematic methods as outlined by the PRISMA statement. Original research articles on the clinical development and therapeutic application of biotechnology-based pharmaceuticals and diagnostic products. Leading/Current Opinion articles providing an overview of contentious or emerging issues and key regulatory and ethical issues. Adis Drug Evaluations reviewing the properties and place in therapy of biotechnology-based drugs. Adis Biosimilar Briefs summarizing key characteristics and clinical use of biosimilar drugs.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Immunology
Editor-in-chief Mike HerbertPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 10, New Zealand 5, Germany 4, Spain 2, Netherlands 2 (32 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Biosimilars and Bioanalytical MethodsImmunology and Microbiology14%
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies ResearchMedicine11.2%
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesMedicine7%
- Immunotherapy and Immune ResponsesImmunology and Microbiology5.3%
- CAR-T cell therapy researchMedicine5%
- Asthma and respiratory diseasesMedicine4.3%
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ResearchMedicine3.9%
- Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Immunology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Immunology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Immunology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Oncology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 8.52LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 8.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 7.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 13.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.63LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.02LetPub ·
- h-index
- 60LetPub ·
- h-index
- 101OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,083OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.85OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 57.31%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 55LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 641,400Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,992 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 52 | 36 | 28 |
| 2025 | 61 | 35 | 442 |
| 2024 | 58 | 43 | 873 |
| 2023 | 66 | 41 | 1,812 |
| 2022 | 60 | 42 | 1,837 |
| 2021 | 51 | 32 | 1,538 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 5,190 / EUR 4,190 / GBP 3,590 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | GBP 5,120 / EUR 5,950 / USD 7,675 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted15
- case reportPlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- current opinionCurrent Opinion. Word count approximately up to 3000. Places an area in perspective given that it is of current international interest and a consensus has not y…Length not stated
- editorialInternal Review by Editorial Staff: The journal editor will perform an initial appraisal of each manuscript. If your paper has been peer reviewed by another jou…Length not stated
- editorial/commentaryEditorial/Commentary. Word count up to 1500. A brief opinion piece on a current topic of high interest.Length not stated
- leading articleLeading Article. Word count up to 4000. Provides a short, balanced overview of the current state of development of an emerging area.Length not stated
- letter to the editorLetter to the Editor. Word count up to 1000. Comment on an article published recently in the journal; a response to the comments would normally be sought from t…Length not stated
- opinionPlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- original researchPlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- original research articlePlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- perspectivePlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- research articlePlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- reviewPlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- review articlePlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- summary of research article (sra)Summary of Research Article (SRA): A standalone summary of a source article previously published in an Adis journal, or in a journal from another publisher.Length not stated
- systematic reviewPlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship Principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for all original research Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright and license term – CC BY-NC
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License Find more about the license agreement Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
Open Choice articles published under CC BY-NC 4.0 Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in BioDrugs, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Single-blind peer review Model summary
Peer reviewer identities are kept confidential, but author identities are known to the reviewers.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Country or region
- NEW ZEALAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1994
- ISSN
- 1173-8804
- Electronic ISSN
- 1179-190X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 40, Issue 5 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about BioDrugs
What CAS zone is BioDrugs in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, BioDrugs is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Immunology / Oncology / Pharmacology & Pharmacy. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of BioDrugs?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.52; CiteScore 13.8, h-index 101.
How long does peer review take at BioDrugs?
Authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of BioDrugs?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of BioDrugs based?
Of the 32 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (10), New Zealand (5) and Germany (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index BioDrugs?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, BioDrugs is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is BioDrugs open access, and what is the APC?
BioDrugs is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,190.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .