The 2005 Fierce 15

The 2005 Fierce 15

Welcome to the third annual edition of FierceBiotech's Fierce 15, our look at a select group of biotech companies that are pushing the envelope of drug development around the world. Some of the companies on this year's list are so new that their management teams haven't been fully assembled, but their research work promises to puncture the known limits of medicine. Others are scrambling to build their pipeline. Most are doggedly pursuing clinical trial goals in the grueling pursuit of positive data. All of them offer the potential of new breakthroughs in drug discovery. These companies face a daunting set of challenges, but are confident that they can meet those tests and overcome the myriad of obstacles that lies in the path of every biotech company. And with record investment capital flowing into the business, each is aggressively plotting out a course that leads to new licensing pacts, collaborations, venture rounds and, eventually, a few buyouts and IPOs. FierceBiotech will follow them every step of the journey. -John Carroll