Idenix Pharmaceuticals - 2004 Fierce 15 revisited

Idenix Pharmaceuticals
Based: Cambridge, MA
Founded: 1998

Why it was Fierce in 2004: Idenix went public just prior to being named a Fierce 15 company in 2004. The company was pursuing new treatments for hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV, and had achieved promising results for its hep C treatment NM283. Idenix had secured big financial commitments from Novartis to complete its ambitious development plan.

Where are they now?: In 2007 Idenix handed over the development of hepatitis B treatment Tyzeka to Novartis and cut 100 jobs in the process. The company chose to focus its resources on developing drugs for the hepatitis C virus and HIV programs. The following year Idenix reported positive early-stage results from a trial of it experimental HIV drug IDX899, and in February GSK snapped up the drug in a $450 million deal.