The ride could have been even more dizzying. Compared to last year's sinking Internet stocks, the life science issues have fared well, even benefiting from high-tech woes by attracting public funding and private venture capital. Analysts still express concern, however. If wary investors don't turn back to biotech as fast as the experts think they should, or if the big pharmaceutical companies fail to achieve challenging goals in bringing to market new blockbuster drugs (that can generate $1 billion in sales), the slowdown may hinder smaller companies from raising capital to fund research and development, launch new products, or simply stay in business.
Even if stock values rise, analysts still expect some jobs to be lost and others to be created as consolidations sweep the pharmaceutical and biotech sectors this year. While some biotech companies will go out of business, competitors eager to purchase talent and technologies at bargain prices ...
