>>particularly where a large molecule could be a player...<<
bloomberg.com
"...Human Genome Sciences Inc., maker of the experimental lupus medicine Benlysta, is seeking partnerships and acquisitions in cancer and immune-system disorders, Chief Executive Officer Tom Watkins said.
“While Benlysta is going to be the growth vehicle for the next few years, to be sustainable as a growth company, you’ve got to make sure the pipeline is as big as it can be,” Watkins said in an interview yesterday at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. “If we find a good opportunity, we’re willing to be fairly aggressive.”
Human Genome, based in Rockville, Maryland, said yesterday that it is prepared to begin selling Benlysta along with its partner, London-based GlaxoSmithKline Plc, if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration clears the medicine. The FDA is set to decide by March 10. The drug would be the first approved for lupus in more than 50 years.
The company has a market value of $4.9 billion and finished 2010 with cash and investments of as much as $950 million. Watkins declined to say how much he would spend on deals.
“Anything that’s a specialty market where there’s a significant unmet medical need, particularly where a large molecule could be a player, we’re interested in,” Watkins said. “Those areas like autoimmune or cancer, I think we know better than other areas, but we’ll look at anything...." |
