Chiron Corp. released its third-quarter earnings Wednesday, and while those figures were better than expected, the Fluvirin disaster has faded their importance. (BioWorld Today)

Genzyme Corp. reported third-quarter numbers that beat consensus estimates, and the diversification plans the company put in place over the past year are taking hold, it said. (BioWorld Today)

Genzyme Corp. reported third-quarter numbers that beat consensus estimates, and the diversification plans the company put in place over the past year are taking hold, it said. (BioWorld Today)

It's one thing to report drug production problems and suffer a stock drop - that happens often in the biotech sector - but it's quite another to push the entire U.S. toward a public health crisis. Last week, Chiron Corp. had the distinct dishonor of doing both.

Chiron Corp. received news early Tuesday that, when boiled down, meant it would not be a player in the 2004-2005 influenza market. That news not only dropped the company's stock by nearly 17 percent, it sent a shudder through a U.S. population already skittish about the flu. (BioWorld Today)