January 6, 2005 -- For the first time in 2005, biotech had a positive day, rising a very solid .99%. The Centient Biotech 200 gained 33.8 points to close at 3464.75, which was much stronger than the market as a whole. We look at Geron, which rose after protecting its cloning patent; Salix, which rose on an analyst upgrade; V.I. Technologies, which will acquire a fast-track HIV drug when it merges with Panacos; and Genentech, which also rose, even though it will add a warning label to its new cancer drug, Avastin.
