Courtesy of Biogen Idec
Workers calibrate and monitor equipment and production processes at a large-scale manufacturing facility.
Biotech companies are focusing on manufacturing after years of struggling to come up with advances in the laboratory. As biotech finance sources become available and new products continue to reach the marketplace, research companies debate whether to become manufacturers as well.
For drug discovery companies, adding manufacturing to their corporate repertoire can be a high-risk endeavor, requiring expertise in an entirely different business area. Many decide to sell or license discoveries to other firms that can make and distribute their products to patients. But for companies looking to make manufacturing successful, blockbuster sales and huge profit margins can be achieved by maintaining sole ownership of their initial discoveries. "Historically, the big success stories, the Amgens, the Genentechs, the Biogen Idecs, are the ones that have been able to build capability all the way ...
