Thes ynthesis of the amide bondb etween an amine andacarboxylic acid is one of the most significant reactions in industrial pharmaceutical synthesis.D espite the apparents implicityo fs ynthetic methodsf or amide bond formation, many of these are disadvantaged by their requirementf or toxic or hazardous reagents for the activation of the acid component, or poora tom economy resulting from the need for stoichiometric amountso fc oupling reagents.I nt his context, biocatalysis hase merged as an alternative catalytic method for amide bond formation, presenting the advantages of both environmentally benign reagents andc onditions and also atom economy.I nthis review we detail developments in the enzyme-catalysed preparation of secondary andt ertiary amides for the synthesis of pharmaceutical-type molecules andr eview the applications of hydrolases,s uch as lipasesa nd penicillina cylases, to these reactions.W ea lso summarise the activity of ATP-dependent enzymesf or amide bondf ormation and assess their potentialf or the preparative synthesis of amidesf rom carboxylic acids and amines in aqueous media.