Ahead of Geron blowup, warning signs were visible for those willing to see them

I was right about Geron (GERN).

Janssen, the pharma arm of Johnson & Johnson, decided to end a partnership with Geron to develop the blood disease drug imetelstat. And as you might expect, Janssen’s no-go decision caused Geron shares to plunge. The stock is down 62 percent to $2.39 in Thursday trading.

I don’t say this to taunt the biotech’s supporters who took a financial hit Thursday. But this was an avoidable biotech crash. The warnings signs were there for anyone who cared to look. Several times this year, I wrote articles that raised red flags about Geron and imetelstat. I explained why Janssen was likely to walk away from the partnership.

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