If you’d invested in: Dechra Pharmaceuticals and Shire

If only...

Dechra Pharmaceuticals (LSE: DPH) is a drugs company that specialises in the development of medical treatments for pets. Pet ownership is on the rise around the globe, as is spending on those pets, so Dechra is operating in a booming market.

Over the next three years, the firm's earnings per share is expected to more than double. Over the same time period, revenue is predicted to grow from £359m to £465m; profit, from £26m to £57m.

Be glad you didn't

Shire (LSE: SHP) is a biotechnology group with treatments for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and inflammatory bowel disease, among others. It has suffered from problems in the production of one of its best-selling drugs, Cinryze. Despite this, the firm has posted a 7% rise in sales to £3.7bn in the quarter to the end of September. Management is considering splitting the firm in two so it can focus more on developing medicines for rare diseases.

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