Start virtual, take existing drugs, make some chemical modifications and push them fast through a series of clinical signposts. Then it's on to partnerships, in-licensing deals and--who knows?--maybe a buyout offer you couldn't refuse.
That's a very attractive business model these days in biotech, where Big Pharma companies wait and watch for the kind of promising therapies that can be snapped up and swiftly commercialized. The faster you move these days in drug development, the greater the value, and the three founders of U.K.-based Serentis feel that they have what it takes to make the grade on their own. In our continuing series on emerging drug developers, CEO Tim Sharpington explains how he sees the one-year-old company developing as it begins stage two: adding new staffers and pushing drugs into the clinic. And he has some well thought out ideas about partnering and commercialization. Click here to read the article. - John Carroll