Customer Reviews

From Alchemy To Ipo: The Business Of Biotechnology

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is flat out the best book I've read on the biotechnology industry. I found it a riveting journey through both the science and the business of biotechnology, as well as a fascinating introduction to some of the outsize personalities who have invented the industry. The author, Cynthia Robbins-Roth, has a knack for translating complicated science and business issues into language that is both entertaining and, most importantly, understandable (thank you!). This book would make a great movie!

I have stayed away from investing in drugs and biotechs for over 5 years. That is not my area of expertise. This book is great in being a teacher of biotech history and technology. It ties in biotech implications very well with drug development, agriculture, and other roles it will have in society. If you want to learn biotech for the fun of it or because you want to start investing in biotech/genomics, this is a must read. I have to warn you though, after reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that I will be buying a biotech fund instead of buying biotech companies. The book makes things seem to complex and unpredicatbale for picking individual companies for the long term investment prospects. They are just too many and their success is largely reliant on chance and luck. Even if you are a daytrader or swingtrader, by improving your knowledge of the biotech industry, you will improve your chances of making money when you know what the press releases are talking about.

Let me finish with why I did not rate this book a 5. The wording that the author chooses is sometimes unclear and downright annoying. There were at least 5 spots where I had to stop and ask myself. Am I just stupid for not understanding what the author is trying to say, or is this written in caveman English. I came to the conclusion that the unclear sentences were the fault of the author. I have read many business/investing books where the author writes concise and flowing text. This book was annoying to read at times because of Robbins-Roth's wordings.

dr. robbins-roth's book is the best example i've seen of a text which makes sense of the short yet tangled history of the biotech business. from it's beginning, the biotech business has attracted the dreamers, the -don't-know-how-we'll-get- there-but-we-must-get-there types, and the scientific whiz-kids. this book not only charts the progress of the companies and the products, it also delves into the science and personalities behind the scene. this book is written at a level accessible to the layman, but is complex enough that professionals in the biological sciences will not find it too pedestrian. this is one of the most interesting, hardest-to-put-down science books i've read in many years.

If you're a newcomer to the industry, this book will quickly and clearly bring you up to speed on the technologies, companies, and issues behind the biotech industry. And even if you're a grizzled veteran, there are stories-behind-the-stories, background, and perspective you're unlikely to get from any other source.

If you are an individual investor wanting to get a feel for the broad sweep of the biotechnology industry and the risks and rewards of biotechnology investing, this is an excellent book. Robbins Roth weaves together the history, science and business of biotechnology into a compelling narrative that both informs and entertains the reader. I found the survey of the different aspects of biotechnology - ranging from monoclonal antibodies and genomics to antisense, gene therapy and signal transduction - to be very enlightening. Also extremely useful was her overview of the drug development process and its speed bumps and brick walls. Biotechnology can deliver enormous gains to investors, but it is also a very risky proposition, a fact that Robbins Roth is at pains to emphasize. If I have a criticism, it is that her exposition of the science of biotechnology will leave the more curious reader wishing for more depth. But then again, this is not a book about the science of biotechnology; it is a book about investing in science-based companies. With regard to that goal, reading this book will make you a more informed investor.

Don't judge a book by its title or author. I expected some more insight into the world of biotech and pharma, instead what I got amounted to no more than a school girl reminiscing about her college days. Robbins-Roth proves herself adept at name dropping and anecdotal stores which in the end amount to nothing. Even worse are the endless lists of companies which could be downloaded from any of a hundred internet sites or the black & white charts which are basically unreadable.

Don't waste your money.

For real insight in the world of Biotech, get a copy of The Billion Dollar Molecule.

I'll be starting a biomedical engineering Ph.D. program in the fall and have read recently a few books on the biotech subject. This one gave the clearest picture of the biotech industries, the companies in them, how to manage and finance them, as well as how to recognize solid biotech companies for investing purposes. A quick and entertaining read for anyone interested in the business behind biotechnology.

Science today is moving so fast, that it is hard enough to keep track of new scientific developments, let alone all the hundreds of companies set up to exploit the new technologies. Robbins-Roth's Book, from Alchemy to IPO, does a great job of setting the stage and helping a novice understand not only the technology but all the companies as well.

Biotechnology, quite clearly, will drastically change our quality of life in the coming years. This insider's perspective of the industry seems very apt for anyone interested in the science, business and investing, or cultural issues that biotech presents. As someone interested in all of these current topics, I found it fascinating.

The book gives a good background for people interested in life sciences, life sciences investment and the clinical trial process.

For the layperson, knowing what happens in the drug evaluation process is interesting. Chapter Six alone, on biotechnology and NASA is an eye opening -- it is interesting, scary and evokes ethical considerations