Friend says that he is cognizant of the fact that he's trailing Pfizer, and that he is investing in IGF-1 only because he thinks Merck can develop a market for the drug by having a better scientific understanding of how the drug works--and testing it in populations, and as part of drug combinations, where it will be most effective.

FORBES: Cancer Revolution, Or Me-Too Mess?

"It's a really good way of testing if stuff works, because if you can hold the attention of a festival audience, then the kernel of a show is there, " explains Holmes.

BBC: How does theatre perform at music festivals?

Only a handful of Works' customers are testing the system--and sales have dried to a trickle.

FORBES: The oops factor

The company is testing a drug that works the opposite way all current HIV drugs do: Instead of halting the virus' reproduction, the drug embraces that process and forces the virus to mutate more often.

FORBES: Magazine Article