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Biotechnology: identifying advances from the hype

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 3, pages 177–183 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

Biotechnology has established itself as one of the most promising, exciting sectors in our economy: its talent base is among the 'best and the brightest'; it receives large amounts of government funding; it is relatively immune to poor economic cycles; and it has products that are increasingly in demand due to gaps in big pharma pipelines. However, there are many challenges to differentiating the sizzle from the steak. This article will discuss how to determine intrinsic value creation in the biotechnology industry over the long haul.

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Figure 1: Market indices for public companies pursuing new technologies.
Figure 2
Figure 3: Antisense hype in the public markets preceded the technology's maturation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, 1300 York Avenue, C-606, New York, 10021, New York, USA

    Robert H. Glassman

  2. an Associate at Perseus-Soros BioPharmaceutical Fund, 888 7th Avenue, Floor 29, New York, 10106, New York, USA

    Anthony Y. Sun

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  1. Robert H. Glassman
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DATABASES

Cancer.gov

Chronic mylogenous leukaemia

non-small-cell lung cancer

LocusLink

ACE

BRCA1

CFTR

β-globin

protein kinase Cα

VEGF

Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man

Cystic fibrosis

Parkinson's disease

FURTHER INFORMATION

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

History of biotechnology

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Glassman, R., Sun, A. Biotechnology: identifying advances from the hype. Nat Rev Drug Discov 3, 177–183 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd1309

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