Human Genome Sciences (HGS) was a biopharmaceuticalcorporation founded in 1992 by Craig Venter, Alan Walton and Wally Steinberg. It uses the human DNA sequence to develop protein and antibody drugs. It had drugs under development to treat such diseases as hepatitis C, systemic lupus erythmatosis, anthrax, and cancer. It collaborated with other biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies for development partnerships and licensing.[1]
On July 16, 2012, HGS agreed to be purchased by GlaxoSmithKline for $3.6 billion.[2]
Corporate history
The company was founded by Alan Walton, Wally Steinberg, and Craig Venter, who at the time founded the non-profit TIGR to begin sequencing and submitting patents on hundreds of thousands of protein-encoding DNA fragments. In 1992,[3] Wally Steinberg hired William A. Haseltine as the first CEO of Human Genome Sciences, where he served as the founding chairman and chief executive officer for the first twelve years of the company.
In April 1993, SmithKline Beecham invested in Human Genome Sciences to acquire access to the new tools of genomic discovery. The initial $125 million transaction was the largest funding received by a fledgling biotechnology company. A year later, Human Genome Sciences and SmithKline Beecham split another $320 million raised by selling access to the Human Genome Sciences discovery tools to several other pharmaceutical companies, including the Japanese company Takeda, the German company Merck, the US company Schering Plough and the French Company Sanofi.
By the fall of 1994, the Institute of Genomic Research, working with Human Genome Sciences, had isolated and characterized by partial sequence analysis more than 90% of all human genes. Preliminary information regarding the tissue and cell in which they were expressed as messenger RNA was available, as data regarding their expression in normal and disease tissues. Over the next several years, Human Genome Sciences initiated clinical trials of several new drugs discovered using genomic methods. These included a new skin growth factor, Keratinocyte growth factor 2, for the treatment of diabetic ulcers and cancer therapy-induced mucositis, a vascular endothelial growth factor for the treatment of peripheral limb ischemia, radio-iodinated B Lymphocyte Stimulator (BLyS) for the treatment of multiple myeloma, a monoclonal antibody to treat cancer that recognizes the Trail receptor, and a monoclonal antibody that antagonizes BLyS (belimumab, trade name Benlysta).
In 2000, Haseltine said that the company's work "speeds up biological discovery a hundredfold, easily." He talked of finding in genes "the fountain of youth" in the form of "cellular replacement" therapies. More than $2 billion in investments was raised by the company by 1999-2000. Two initial drugs failed in clinical trials, and the stock share price declined from its highs. For example, in September 2000, the company reported that it had found a way to treat large, painful sores that often plague elderly patients using a protein spray called repifermin, made by a human gene called keratinocyte growth factor-2. In February 2004, the company said it was ending the development of repifermin because it showed no more benefit than a placebo in clinical trials.
In late 2004, HGS announced Haseltine's retirement and named H. Thomas Watkins the new President and CEO.
Benlysta (belimumab) received U.S. Food and Regulatory Administration approval for use in lupus in March 2011. Belimumab was being developed with GlaxoSmithKline,[4] Abthrax (raxibacumab) for anthrax was the subject of a contract with the US Government under Project BioShield.[5] Development of Albuferon (albinterferon) for Hepatitis C was discontinued after fatalities during early testing. Belimumab and raxibacumab were created as a result of a technology licensing deal signed with Cambridge Antibody Technology signed in 1999.[6][7][8]
Its facilities in Rockville, Maryland earned its architect—Davis Carter Scott, Ltd.—an award from the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. The association cited the glass walls, atrium, and uniform design of all the buildings as reasons for the award.[citation needed]
On April 19, 2012, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) made a takeover bid for HGS, offering $13.00 per share for a total valuation of $2.59 billion.[9] The HGS board "...in consultation with independent financial and legal advisors, has carefully reviewed and considered the GSK offer and has determined that the offer does not reflect the value inherent in HGS."[10] Glaxo then tried to buy HGS shares on the open market, but the HGS board of directors adopted a "poison pill" shareholder rights plan that led Glaxo to back off. Shareholders sued the HGS board for adopting the plan. On July 16, 2012, HGS agreed to be purchased by GSK for $3.6 billion.[2]
GSK plc is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London. It was established in 2000 by a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham, which was itself a merger of a number of pharmaceutical companies around the Smith, Kline & French firm.
Agenus Inc. is a Lexington, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company focused on immunotherapy including immuno-oncology, a field that uses the immune system to control or cure cancer. The company is developing checkpoint modulators (CPMs), patient-specific anti-cancer vaccines, and adjuvants desugned for use with various vaccines. CPM development is a particularly fast-moving field, since early products have produced unprecedented clinical benefits for patients.
Belimumab, sold under the brand name Benlysta, is a human monoclonal antibody that inhibits B-cell activating factor (BAFF), also known as B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS). It is approved in the United States and Canada, and the European Union to treat systemic lupus erythematosus and lupus nephritis.
Mapatumumab (HGS-ETR1) is an experimental human monoclonal antibody undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of cancer. It targets TRAIL-R1, also known as DR4, which is expressed on the surface of many tumor cell types.
Raxibacumab is a human monoclonal antibody intended for the prophylaxis and treatment of inhaled anthrax. Its efficacy has been proven in rabbits and monkeys. In December 2012 raxibacumab was approved in the United States for the treatment of inhalational anthrax due to Bacillus anthracis in combination with appropriate antibacterial drugs, and for prophylaxis of inhalational anthrax when alternative therapies are not available or are not appropriate.
Genmab A/S is a Danish biotechnology company, founded in February 1999 by Florian Schönharting, at the time managing director of BankInvest Biomedical venture fund. The company is based in Copenhagen, Denmark – internationally, it operates through the subsidiaries Genmab B.V. in Utrecht, The Netherlands, Genmab U.S., Inc. in Princeton, USA, and Genmab K.K. in Tokyo, Japan. Genmab is a dual-listed company with shares traded on both the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in Denmark and the NASDAQ Global Select Market in the US.
Darapladib is an inhibitor of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) that is in development as a drug for treatment of atherosclerosis.
MorphoSys AG is a German biopharmaceutical company founded in 1992. The company is headquartered near Munich, Germany, and has a wholly owned subsidiary, MorphoSys US Inc., in Boston, Massachusetts, in the US. The company has various antibody, protein and peptide technologies that it uses to discover and develop both proprietary and partnered drug candidates. The company has more than 100 drugs in its wider pipeline that are being investigated for a variety of diseases. While many of these are being developed in partnership with pharma and biotech companies, MorphoSys also has a proprietary pipeline with a focus on cancer and autoimmune diseases.
Cambridge Antibody Technology Group Plc, was a biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge, England, United Kingdom. Its core focus was on antibody therapeutics, primarily using Phage Display and Ribosome Display technology.
Santaris Pharma A/S was a biopharmaceutical company founded in 2003 in Copenhagen, Denmark. The company also had a branch in San Diego, California that opened in 2009. Created by a merger between Cureon and Pantheco, Santaris developed RNA-targeted medicines using a Locked Nucleic Acid (LNA) Drug Platform and Drug Development Engine.
Regulus Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of first-in-class drugs that target microRNAs to treat a broad range of diseases. Regulus was established in September 2007 by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Isis Pharmaceuticals.
Ozanezumab is a monoclonal antibody designed for the treatment of ALS and multiple sclerosis.
Drisapersen is an experimental drug that was under development by BioMarin, after acquisition of Prosensa, for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The drug is a 2'-O-methyl phosphorothioate oligonucleotide that alters the splicing of the dystrophin RNA transcript, eliminating exon 51 from the mature dystrophin mRNA.
William A. Haseltine is an American scientist, businessman, author, and philanthropist. He is known for his groundbreaking work on HIV/AIDS and the human genome.
GSK2831781 is a monoclonal antibody being developed by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for autoimmune diseases. The antibody targets the T cell activation marker LAG-3, which is mainly expressed in inflamed tissues. In GSK's March 2015 Product development pipeline document the antibody is listed under 'Immuno-inflammation' candidates. GSK2831781 entered a Phase I clinical trial in psoriasis early in 2015.
Study 329 was a clinical trial which was conducted in North America from 1994 to 1998 to study the efficacy of paroxetine, an SSRI anti-depressant, in treating 12- to 18-year-olds diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Led by Martin Keller, then professor of psychiatry at Brown University, and funded by the British pharmaceutical company SmithKline Beecham—known since 2000 as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)—the study compared paroxetine with imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant, and placebo. SmithKline Beecham had released paroxetine in 1991, marketing it as Paxil in North America and Seroxat in the UK. The drug attracted sales of $11.7 billion in the United States alone from 1997 to 2006, including $2.12 billion in 2002, the year before it lost its patent.
Éric A. Cohen is a Canadian molecular virologist whose research is focused on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-host interactions that govern viral replication and persistence.
CoVLP was a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Medicago in Canada and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The product and Medicago, Inc. were owned by Mitsubishi who terminated the company and program in February 2023 due to high international market competition for COVID-19 vaccines.
The Sanofi–GSK COVID-19 vaccine sold under the brand name VidPrevtyn Beta, is a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Sanofi Pasteur and GSK.
References
↑ Human Genome Sciences Announces 2008 Goals and Reports Substantial Progress Toward Commercialization at JPMorgan Healthcare Conference
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
