Signs: A Burst of Biotech Buyouts in 2011

All signs now point to a burst of biotech buyouts in 2011. The latest one reported by Bloomberg highlights the recent deals for Plexxikon and ProStrakan as indications that Japan's pharma companies are going to use their cache of cash to snap up more drug developers.

Bloomberg's numbers indicate that there was a 30 percent jump in the number of overseas deals completed by Japan's pharma companies in the past year, with a 72 percent spike in premiums. The business news service totted up 34 deals in the last 12 mon