Pharma, biotech deals seen picking up speed NEWS.com.au - Australia By Deena Beasley in San Francisco. BIG pharmaceutical companies, eager to secure new products as blockbuster drugs lose patent protection, are likely to ... <http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,23636,21047875-31037,00.html>
The business model often followed by big pharma companies - reliance on mass-selling drugs for chronic conditions with sales driven by ads targeted to consumers - has failed, said John Maraganore, CEO of Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc, the leading player in Sirna's field of RNA interference. One issue for smaller companies is whether to sell out or partner early, or to hold off until sure signs of success arrive, which would sharply raise a developer's value.
