What is Human Genome Sciences mission?
Our fundamental business is to develop cures for disease using new gene-based medicines and to manufacture and sell those gene medicines to patients. Making and selling drugs, whether the drug is made from tree bark or is a gene product, is one of the oldest businesses in the world. It’s also a highly successful business, because you can sell products at very high margin that are protected by government-supported monopolies, also known as patents. Furthermore, the products are ones that people really need. Q: What kinds of products are you developing? A: They are not “me-too” drugs. We can not only make new pharmaceutical products — we can make better ones that are comprised of human genes, human proteins, and human antibodies. The concept is to use the body’s own substances to regenerate what is damaged by disease, injured by trauma, and eventually worn by age. One gene makes one protein which is one drug which is one market. The primary market for these “regenerative medicines” is o
