Timeline: BioCentury 20-Year Timeline

Jan 11, 1993

BioCentury launched at H&Q

BioCentury launched at H&Q
See BioCentury, Jan. 11, 1993

Jan 18, 1993

Centocor halts Centoxin sepsis trial

See BioCentury Extra, Jan. 18, 1993

Feb 8, 1993

BIO formed

May 1, 1993

Human Genome Sciences and SmithKline sign the first big genomics deal

Jul 23, 1993

Chiron's Betaseron first approved beta interferon

See BioCentury, July 26, 1993

Nov 20, 1993

Clinton healthcare reform bill introduced

See BioCentury Extra, Oct. 28, 1993

Mar 31, 1994

Millennium starts string of large genomics deals (Roche)

See BioCentury, April 4, 1994

Sep 23, 1994

David Blech bank fails

See BioCentury, Sept. 26, 1994

Nov 21, 1994

ReoPro approved (Sweden), changing angioplasty treatment

See BioCentury Extra, Dec. 22, 1994

Dec 6, 1995

First HIV protease inhibitor, Roche's Invirase

Jan 18, 1996

MedImmune's RespiGam approved to treat RSV

See BioCentury, Jan. 22, 1996

Jul 2, 1996

Qiagen, first German biotech IPO

See BioCentury, July 15, 1996

Jul 5, 1996

Dolly the sheep cloned

Sep 15, 1997

Fenfluramine drugs withdrawn

See BioCentury, Sept. 22, 1997

Nov 21, 1997

FDA Modernization Act becomes law

See BioCentury, Nov. 10, 1997

Mar 11, 1998

British Biotech meltdown

See BioCentury, March 16, 1998

Jul 16, 1998

Celgene's Thalomid approved for leprosy

Sep 25, 1998

First targeted cancer therapy, Genentech's Herceptin

See BioCentury, Sept. 8, 1998

Nov 2, 1998

FDA approves first TNF alpha inhibitor, Immunex's Enbrel, for RA

Dec 1, 1998

Gates Foundation begins large-scale funding of neglected diseases

Feb 20, 1999

U.K.'s NICE created

Jun 4, 1999

Roche exercises option to acquire remainder of Genentech

See BioCentury, June 7, 1999

Jul 20, 1999

Genentech: 2nd coming

Jul 21, 1999

J&J buys Centocor for $4.9B

See BioCentury, May 10, 1999

Sep 17, 1999

Jesse Gelsinger dies in gene therapy trial

See BioCentury, Dec. 13, 1999

Dec 16, 1999

IPO window explodes

See BioCentury, Dec. 20, 1999

Mar 14, 2000

Genomics bubble bursts on erroneous reports that genes can't be patented

See BioCentury, March 20, 2000

Jun 26, 2000

Human genome sequenced

Oct 23, 2000

Reg FD takes effect

See BioCentury, Oct. 23, 2000

May 10, 2001

May 01 - FDA approves Novartis' Gleevec, changing CML from fatal to chronic

Aug 9, 2001

Bush compromise on stem cells

See BioCentury Extra, Aug. 9, 2001

Sep 11, 2001

9/11 and anthrax attacks spur biodefense

See BioCentury, Oct. 8, 2001

Dec 16, 2001

Amgen acquires Immunex for $10.4B

See BioCentury, Dec. 17, 2001

Jan 18, 2002

ImClone scandal

See BioCentury, Jan. 22, 2002

Feb 22, 2002

First biotech financing >$1B, Amgen $2.5B convert

Jul 30, 2002

Sarbanes-Oxley becomes law

Sep 25, 2002

AnGes, first Japanese biotech IPO

Feb 10, 2003

Spitzer Wall Street deal splits bankers and sellside

See BioCentury, Feb. 10, 2003

Feb 26, 2003

SARS first reported in Asia

Jun 23, 2003

Biogen, Idec merge

See BioCentury, June 30, 2003

Feb 24, 2004

Yamanouchi, Fujisawa merge to form Astellas

See BioCentury, March 8, 2004

Mar 24, 2004

Biocon IPO marks emergence of Indian biotech

See BioCentury, April 12, 2004

Jul 21, 2004

Germany forms IQWiG to assess cost-benefit

Sep 30, 2004

Merck pulls Vioxx

See BioCentury, Oct. 4, 2004

Nov 2, 2004

California passes $3B stem cell initiative (Prop. 71)

Feb 28, 2005

Biogen Idec, Elan suspend Tysabri sales

See BioCentury, March 7, 2005

Jun 30, 2005

Europe creates biosimilar pathway

See BioCentury, July 18, 2005

Jan 20, 2006

Sanofi's Ketek prompts FDA to reassess standards for antibiotics for community-acquired infections

See BioCentury, June 26, 2006

Apr 17, 2006

EC approves first biosimilar, Sandoz's Omnitrope

Jun 5, 2006

Tysabri relaunched

See BioCentury, March 13, 2006

Jun 8, 2006

First vaccine to prevent cancer, Merck's Gardasil HPV vaccine

Mar 9, 2007

FDA adds black box to ESA labels

See BioCentury, March 12, 2007

Apr 23, 2007

AstraZeneca buys MedImmune for $15.6B

See BioCentury, April 30, 2007

May 21, 2007

Avandia meta-analysis creates fear of CV side effects from diabetes drugs

See BioCentury, May 28, 2007

Sep 4, 2007

NICE agrees to pay for performance deal for Velcade

See BioCentury, June 18, 2007

Sep 27, 2007

FDA Amendments Act of 2007 becomes law

See BioCentury, Sept. 24, 2007

Dec 17, 2008

FDA issues CV guidance for diabetes drugs

See BioCentury, Dec. 15, 2008

Mar 9, 2009

Obama lifts ban on government funding of embryonic stem cell research

Mar 12, 2009

Roche buys Genentech, again

Jun 11, 2009

WHO declares H1N1 a pandemic

Mar 23, 2010

Obama signs Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

See BioCentury, March 29, 2010

Apr 29, 2010

First cancer immunotherapy, Dendreon's Provenge

See BioCentury, May 3, 2010

Apr 8, 2011

Sanofi acquires Genzyme for $20.1B + CVR

May 13, 2011

First HCV protease inhibitors, Merck's Victrelis and Vertex's Incivek

See BioCentury, June 20, 2011

Aug 17, 2011

First simultaneous approval of Rx-Dx combination since Herceptin, Zelboraf and companion Dx from Roche and Daiichi Sankyo for melanoma

See BioCentury, Aug. 22, 2011