BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

Integration II

November 18, 2002 8:00 AM UTC

In 1999, when it became abundantly clear that having the suffix "omics" in the boilerplate did not constitute a business plan, many companies began morphing into therapeutic plays. This is not an easy transition, and many observers said it couldn't be done, given the differences between the two models. These range from the tasks that need to be accomplished, to corporate culture, development timelines, and costs.

While the ultimate proof, as always, will be getting a drug on the market, three years later the experiences of six of these companies shows that it is possible to put together a fairly complete R&D value chain in relatively short order. ...