Rating: 
Summary: Don't invest in Biotechs without reading this book
Review: Like most people, I have read with interest many of the articles written in the last year about new biotech medical breakthrus, human genome project updates and the wild stock market performance of so many of these dynamic companies -- read, but not really understood. I was even tempted to invest in these cutting-edge technologies, but had no idea where to begin to research this specialized field. Until now... The Biotech Investor's Bible was a surprisingly easy and compelling read and loaded with an amazing amount of useful research material and background information. As a non-scientist, I was relieved by how clearly and even entertainingly Mr. Wolff writes about these companies and about the investment process. His enthusiasm is contagious. I found the "8 questions to ask yourself before investing" and the extensive information on how to use the internet to do research on this sector especially helpful. Understanding the difference in the three phases of clinical trials and how and where the results are reported is not only useful information for anyone evaluating investment opportunities, but for anyone wanting to keep abreast of promising new medical treatments. The first half of the book focuses on investment opportunites in this field of the future and the second half more on the science behind the headlines and the biotech companies. To my surprise, while I didn't fully understand everything about the science, I couldn't put the book down. I'm confident I now know more about this field than my financial advisor and look forward to applying what I've learned to diversify my stock portfolio.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall a disappointing read
Review: Successful investing is difficult. Investing in biotech companies can be even more challenging. I did not find this book up to the challenge.
The organization of the book was confusing: the author jumped around from topic to topic. The discussion of the science was fine, but there was not really anything that I could not find from a five minute web search.
I believe if I had calibrated my expectations differently, I may have found value in this text. The example companies are dated. I believe one of them at least no longer exists. Some of the companies classified as biotech companies are really baby pharmaceutical companies.
The tiered approach to differentiating among companies was interesting. It did not clarify for me how I should approach an investment.
The writing style is good, in fact, I found the book easy to read. I have to be blunt, the content was very disappointing.
I do have to remember that when it comes to biotech investing, we're at the crossroads of two difficult activities. I did not find that this book clarified either.
Rating:
Summary: Overall a disappointing read
Review: Successful investing is difficult. Investing in biotech companies can be even more challenging. I did not find this book up to the challenge.
The organization of the book was confusing: the author jumped around from topic to topic. The discussion of the science was fine, but there was not really anything that I could not find from a five minute web search.
I believe if I had calibrated my expectations differently, I may have found value in this text. The example companies are dated. I believe one of them at least no longer exists. Some of the companies classified as biotech companies are really baby pharmaceutical companies.
The tiered approach to differentiating among companies was interesting. It did not clarify for me how I should approach an investment.
The writing style is good, in fact, I found the book easy to read. I have to be blunt, the content was very disappointing.
I do have to remember that when it comes to biotech investing, we're at the crossroads of two difficult activities. I did not find that this book clarified either.
Rating:
Summary: bio bible
Review: Super, hot off the press, biotech investor's guide! Finally, a common sense approach to this complex market. Mr. Wolff uses his successful career background and extensive research in the area of biotechnology. He provides in depth analysis of the companies involved in medical science,as they pertain to gene therapies, patents, and health drugs. He offers detailed strategies needed for investing in this new, volatile market. Whether you are a seasoned investor or a novice, you'll find this book an invaluable resource. A must buy!
Rating:
Summary: biotech investing
Review: The Biotech Investors Bible is the first advice on biotech investing that doesn't seem simplistic. I'm tired of jumping on the high tech bandwagons touted by soundbits on TV or sidebars in magazines. I'm ready to dip my feet into the water of what seems a more promising industry. The Biotech Investors' Bible gives me the depth of knowledge that inspires real confidence for the first time in my investing career. I TRUST IT!
Rating: 
Summary: Give this one a miss
Review: There is not good book on biotech investing. The Biotech Investor's Bible is poorly written and badly organized. I find the same companies provided as examples again and again. Some of them no longer exist! The risk of this industry was not sufficiently highlighted.The author groups companies based on market capitalization; I believe that this approach is fundamentally flawed. It runs the risk of feeding right into a mania. I would like to have seen more comment on the stalwart biotech companies. I did not learn much from this book. Perhaps that is the point. This area is a challenge.
Rating:
Summary: Give this one a miss
Review: There is not good book on biotech investing. The Biotech Investor's Bible is poorly written and badly organized. I find the same companies provided as examples again and again. Some of them no longer exist! The risk of this industry was not sufficiently highlighted. The author groups companies based on market capitalization; I believe that this approach is fundamentally flawed. It runs the risk of feeding right into a mania. I would like to have seen more comment on the stalwart biotech companies. I did not learn much from this book. Perhaps that is the point. This area is a challenge.
Rating:
Summary: Very Informative
Review: This book is rather excellent. It provides insight for those without any formal business or investment knowledge into the realm of biotech. The author does a great job of explaining the science behind each company investigated, which is good for those lacking in this arena. I strongly recommend this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but Disorganized
Review: This was a difficult book for me to review. I bought it primarily because of the rave reviews on this web site. Overall, I'm glad I did. However, the book fell slightly short of the reviews, hence my 4 star rating. It contained a great deal of interesting and useful information but lacked organization and structure. In that sense, it was indeed a Bible, a collection of articles, rather than a text. My primary complaint is that the first few chapters were practically devoid of content, offering only hype on how great biotech is. The comparison of biotechnology with the PC industry was also a bit of meaningless hype. On the positive side, after the reader wades through or skips the first three chapters (unfortunately, I read them), there are numerous valuable bits of information and insight. Particularly valuable are the author's idea of categorizing biotech companies by market capitalization (share price times shares outstanding). This is a useful way of measuring how the market evaluates a company that has no current earnings. Chapters 10 through 15 are a veritable encyclopedia of the different approaches taken by biotech companies, from anti-sense to vaccines. The leading companies in each field are introduced and their prospects briefly reviewed. These chapters were readily useful to the investor and led me to make (so far) successful investments in PDLI and QLTI. The book is now silghtly dated, having been published in 2001. However, this can be said of any two year old investment book. The reader should certainly do some careful analysis of the current state of any candidate for investment. I actually found the slightly dated nature useful in that it allowed my to judge which companies still looked like winners two years later and which did not. Advice: Buy the book, skip the first three chapters, and read the rest. Also buy and read Investing in Biotech by David Harper which covers much of the same material in a more orderly manner. (More detail is available in my review of that book.)
Rating:
Summary: Good but Disorganized
Review: This was a difficult book for me to review. I bought it primarily because of the rave reviews on this web site. Overall, I'm glad I did. However, the book fell slightly short of the reviews, hence my 4 star rating. It contained a great deal of interesting and useful information but lacked organization and structure. In that sense, it was indeed a Bible, a collection of articles, rather than a text. My primary complaint is that the first few chapters were practically devoid of content, offering only hype on how great biotech is. The comparison of biotechnology with the PC industry was also a bit of meaningless hype. On the positive side, after the reader wades through or skips the first three chapters (unfortunately, I read them), there are numerous valuable bits of information and insight. Particularly valuable are the author's idea of categorizing biotech companies by market capitalization (share price times shares outstanding). This is a useful way of measuring how the market evaluates a company that has no current earnings. Chapters 10 through 15 are a veritable encyclopedia of the different approaches taken by biotech companies, from anti-sense to vaccines. The leading companies in each field are introduced and their prospects briefly reviewed. These chapters were readily useful to the investor and led me to make (so far) successful investments in PDLI and QLTI. The book is now silghtly dated, having been published in 2001. However, this can be said of any two year old investment book. The reader should certainly do some careful analysis of the current state of any candidate for investment. I actually found the slightly dated nature useful in that it allowed my to judge which companies still looked like winners two years later and which did not. Advice: Buy the book, skip the first three chapters, and read the rest. Also buy and read Investing in Biotech by David Harper which covers much of the same material in a more orderly manner. (More detail is available in my review of that book.)
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