Much has been made today--and oh, for about nine months--about the demise of an independent Genentech at the hands of its majority owner, Roche. The biotech pioneer's stock will cease trading after today.Goodbye, NYSE:DNA.
Harken back to your initial reactions last July (here is ours). How did you think about the Roche-fication of Genentech then and how do you think about it now, with the Pfizer/Wyeth and Merck/SGP merger announcements in the rear-view mirror and the economy in the toilet?
We've seldom, if ever, written more about a deal than we have the various incarnations of Roche/Genentech. You can find much of our collective work here on the blog. For the big juicy pieces since July 2008, go here and here and here.
Even with our extensive coverage, we've barely touched on many of the central issues looming as Roche looks to integrate Genentech.
Among them: If the DNA of Genentech is about its individual managers and scientists, will Genentech live on if they remain? Or is the departure of many a foregone conclusion with the lure of greener start-up pastures or the axe of restructuring looming large? Or has there always been a bit of myth to the magnitude of the Genentech magic? In short, what's next?
To paraphrase the old pizza commercial, what do you want on Genentech's tombstone?
