ROCKVILLE, Md., July 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Human Genome
Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) today announced that David P. Southwell has
been appointed to the HGS Board of Directors. He will also serve as a
member of the Company's Audit Committee. Until recently, Mr. Southwell was
at Sepracor, Inc., a research-based pharmaceutical company, where he served
as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, and also had
responsibility for Corporate Planning, Development and Licensing.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080416/HGSLOGO
"David Southwell brings more than twenty years of experience and
significant accomplishment to HGS in financial strategy, planning and
business development," said H. Thomas Watkins, President and Chief
Executive Officer, HGS. "We look forward to benefiting from David's
experience and insight as we continue our transformation into a fully
commercial biopharmaceutical company. We are pleased to welcome him to our
Board."
During his fourteen-year tenure at Sepracor, Mr. Southwell advanced
through a series of senior management positions with increasing
responsibility in finance, corporate planning, development and licensing.
He was responsible for raising approximately $3 billion through public
equity offerings and private placements of convertible debt securities.
Prior to joining Sepracor, Mr. Southwell was Vice President, Investment
Banking Division, at Lehman Brothers in New York.
Mr. Southwell graduated from Rice University, and received his M.B.A.
from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. Mr. Southwell serves
as Chairman of the Board of Directors for BioSphere Medical, Inc. and is a
member of the Board of Directors of PTC Therapeutics, Inc. He is also
Chairman of the Tuck School of Business MBA Advisory Board and a member of
the Tuck School of Business "Investing for Excellence" Capital Campaign
Steering Committee.
ABOUT HUMAN GENOME SCIENCES
The mission of HGS is to apply great science and great medicine to
bring innovative drugs to patients with unmet medical needs.
The HGS clinical development pipeline includes novel drugs to treat
hepatitis C, lupus, inhalation anthrax, cancer and other immune-mediated
diseases. The Company's primary focus is rapid progress toward the
commercialization of its two key lead drugs, Albuferon(R) (albinterferon
alfa-2b) for hepatitis C and LymphoStat-B(R) (belimumab) for lupus. Phase 3
clinical trials of both drugs are ongoing.
ABthrax(TM) (raxibacumab) is in late-stage development for the
treatment of inhalation anthrax, and the Company is on track to begin the
delivery in fall 2008 of 20,000 doses of ABthrax to the Strategic National
Stockpile under a contract entered into with the U.S. Government in June
2006. HGS also has three drugs in clinical development for the treatment of
cancer, including two TRAIL receptor antibodies and a small-molecule
antagonist of IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) proteins. In addition, HGS has
substantial financial rights to three products in the GSK clinical
development pipeline.
For more information about HGS, please visit the Company's web site at
http://www.hgsi.com. Health professionals and patients interested in clinical
trials
of HGS products may inquire via e-mail to clinical_trials@hgsi.com or
by calling HGS at (301) 610-5790, extension 3550.
HGS, Human Genome Sciences, ABthrax, Albuferon and LymphoStat-B are
trademarks of Human Genome Sciences, Inc.
SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The
forward-looking statements are based on Human Genome Sciences' current
intent, belief and expectations. These statements are not guarantees of
future performance and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that
are difficult to predict. Actual results may differ materially from these
forward-looking statements because of the Company's unproven business
model, its dependence on new technologies, the uncertainty and timing of
clinical trials, the Company's ability to develop and commercialize
products, its dependence on collaborators for services and revenue, its
substantial indebtedness and lease obligations, its changing requirements
and costs associated with facilities, intense competition, the uncertainty
of patent and intellectual property protection, the Company's dependence on
key management and key suppliers, the uncertainty of regulation of
products, the impact of future alliances or transactions and other risks
described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. In addition, the Company will continue to face risks related to
animal and human testing, to the manufacture of ABthrax and to FDA
concurrence that ABthrax meets the requirements of the ABthrax contract. If
the Company is unable to meet the product requirements associated with the
ABthrax contract, the U.S. government will not be required to reimburse the
Company for the costs incurred or to purchase any ABthrax doses, and we
will not receive any of the expected revenues relative to ABthrax. Existing
and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of today's date.
Human Genome Sciences undertakes no obligation to update or revise the
information contained in this announcement whether as a result of new
information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.
SOURCE Human Genome Sciences, Inc.
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.hgsi.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080416/HGSLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/121115.html/
CONTACT:
Jerry Parrott, Vice President, Corporate
Communications, +1-301-315-2777, or Kate de Santis, Director,
Investor Relations, +1-301-251-6003, both of Human Genome
Sciences, Inc.
|
