Since discovery of Bioglass in 1971, various kinds of bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics with different functions such as high mechanical strength, high machinability, fast-setting ability and ferrimagnetism have been developed. Some of them are already clinically used as important bone-repairing implants and also have been proved to be useful even for cancer treatments. Factors governing the bioactivity have been considerably revealed. On the basis of these findings, new kinds of bioactive materials with other different functions such as high fracture toughness as well as low elastic modulus also might be developed from glasses in near future. Non-bioactive but inert glasses and glass-ceramics with various functions such as good workability, natural appearance and radioactivity also have been shown to be useful for biomedical applications such as dental crown and radioactive carrier for a cancer treatment. Glass-based materials will occupy more important positions in biomedical materials in the next decade.