Quark Pharma IPO delayed

Quark Pharmaceuticals, the biotech chameleon I profiled here, delayed an IPO that the company expects to raise as much as $81 million, VentureWire reports (subscription required). The newswire said the Fremont, Calif., developer of RNA-interference drugs was slated to begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market today.

It’s hard to know what a postponement like this means, although I can’t help wondering if picky investors who have already turned up their noses at a number of… Continue Reading

Biotech chameleons: Quark Pharma aims for $81M IPO

Biotech chameleons: Quark Pharma aims for $81M IPO

(UPDATED: See below.)

For some reason, biotechnology is rife with chameleons — companies that suddenly and radically alter their scientific strategy, disease focus or business model, sometimes to recover from a major failure, and sometimes just to be whatever faddish investors want them to be.

Today, for instance, Quark Pharmaceuticals — now a Fremont, Calif., developer of drugs that work via a new mechanism known as “RNA interference” — said in an SEC filing that it now… Continue Reading