Biotech Notebook: Hythiam, Shire, Genentech

Is there a CEO in health care who talks more but says less than Hythiam(HYTM Quote) head honcho Terren Peizer?

I think not, especially after listening to two recent Hythiam conference calls -- one to discuss results from a clinical trial involving its controversial Prometa drug-treatment program, the other focused on third-quarter financial results.

Both calls were marathon affairs in which Peizer, if paid by the spoken word, would have earned himself a place on the Forbes 400 list. Sadly, most of what Peizer says is dubious-sounding hype, although happily, investors seem to see through it all. The result: Hythiam's stock price is in free fall. ...