It is nearly 25 years since the first description of monoclonal antibodies. During that time, monoclonal antibodies and derivatives have become a major group of pharmaceuticals in development. Technical problems have, however, hindered their development and initial optimism led to disappointment at the rate of progress in generating products. Many of the technical problems have now been overcome and in recent years a significant number of licensed products have emerged. Many more are in late-stage development and are expected to gain product approval in the near future to establish antibodies, and in particular, recombinant engineered antibodies as a major therapeutic class. This review highlights recent progress in the development of recombinant antibodies for the diagnosis and therapy of human disease.