Very interesting story. Here is what Mark Simon, an analyst at the time, said, as quoted in the Times article. Mark is now a founder and partner at Torreya Partners.
''Biotech is a graveyard,'' said Mark Simon, an analyst at BancBoston Robertson Stephens. ''This is a very risky area. It's like wildcatting, oil drilling. But when you hit a well, it can be very huge.''