For biotech firms, a bit of positive news—a key result from clinical trials or new drug discovery, say—can be the difference between a major rally based on a path toward sustained profitability and a slump that can lead to the firm's eventual demise.
This high-risk industry is home to some of the most influential medicine makers in the world, but it is also littered with relative unknowns that may or may not ever see a significant breakthrough.
