Can Isis Remain A Platform Company?

With a bulging pipeline, piles of cash, and Big Pharma partners knocking on its doors, Isis believes it is under no pressure to sell its own products. But several factors – including outside pressures and issues intrinsic to Isis’ platform model – are coming into play that may hasten its evolution into an integrated biopharma. And for the first time, Isis management appears open to the possibility.

Swimming against the tide, Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. insists it will stay with its platform model. With a bulging pipeline, piles of cash, and big pharma partners knocking on its doors, Isis believes it is under no pressure to sell its own products. But various factors are coming into play that may force it to reconsider.

Many biopharmas out of necessity start as platform companies that discover and license out their assets. As they build their...

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