15 Biotech Stock Predictions for 2011

Editor's Note: This column originally published on Dec. 15 predicted European regulatory approval of InterMune's lung drug as the company announced today. Shares of the stock more than doubled on today's news.

BOSTON (TheStreet) -- I'm pleased to present 15 predictions for the biotech and drug sectors in 2011.

Why 15 predictions in 2011? Why not?

Some of these prognostications are serious, others not so. Almost all would be big surprises were they to come true.

1. Cell Therapeutics(CTIC) will increase its share count to 2 billion, followed by a 60:1 reverse stock split. Pixantrone still isn't approved.

2. At least one leading U.S. academic medical center will bar its doctors from consulting with Wall Street investors. Soon after, one or more health care-focused expert networks will shutter operations.

3. Dendreon(DNDN) will experience a temporary disruption in Provenge sales due to a problem at one of its manufacturing plants.

4. By the end of the year, one or more of these companies will be gobbled up in an M&A deal: Amarin(AMRN), Seattle Genetics(SGEN), Human Genome Sciences(HGSI), Pharmasset(VRUS), Onyx Pharmaceuticals(ONXX), Biomarin Pharmaceuticals(BMRN).

5. Arena Pharmaceuticals(ARNA) will end 2011 still trying to convince FDA to approve its weight-loss drug lorcaserin.

6. One of the large-cap biotech companies will begin paying a dividend.

7. Sequenom's(SQNM) attempt to commercially launch a fetal DNA test for Down's syndrome will be stopped by FDA, which decides to enact stronger regulatory control over all genetic tests.