HGSI-Human Genome Sciences, Inc (NASDAQ Stock)

[Shocker00]

Im looking for bounce on this stock. This Stock is down about 50% since the end of January. I just bought in after going Green yesterday and holding green early this morning.

[Shocker00]

Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ:HGSI) is a biopharmaceutical company with a pipeline of novel protein and antibody drugs directed toward large markets that have significant unmet medical need.

PRODUCTS IN CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT

The HGS clinical development pipeline includes treatments for hepatitis C, lupus, inhalation anthrax, cancer and other immune-mediated diseases. Our partners are conducting clinical trials of additional drugs to treat cardiovascular, metabolic and central nervous system diseases.


LEAD PRODUCTS

Two of the Company’s lead products, Albuferon® for chronic hepatitis C and LymphoStat-B® for systemic lupus erythematosus ( SLE ), have entered Phase 3 development. The third lead product, ABthrax™, is in late-stage development for inhalation anthrax.

Albuferon® (albinterferon alfa-2b)

Albuferon is a novel longer-acting form of interferon alpha that was created using the proprietary HGS albumin-fusion technology. Recombinant interferon alpha is approved for the treatment of hepatitis C, hepatitis B and a broad range of cancers. HGS is currently conducting two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials of Albuferon in combination with ribavirin: ACHIEVE 1 in treatment-naïve patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C, and ACHIEVE 2/3 in treatment-naive patients with genotype 2 or 3 hepatitis C. ACHIEVE 1 and ACHIEVE 2/3, assuming that they are successful, will provide the pivotal data to support global marketing authorization applications for Albuferon, which HGS and Novartis expect to file in fall 2009. Albuferon requires half as many injections as Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a), the leading available long-acting interferon, and Phase 2 clinical results suggest that Albuferon could offer efficacy and safety comparable to Pegasys, with the potential for improved quality of life and fewer lost days of work during therapy. Assuming that Phase 2 results are confirmed in Phase 3, HGS believes that Albuferon could become the market-leading interferon in treatment regimens for chronic hepatitis C. Albuferon is being developed by HGS and Novartis under a worldwide co-development and commercialization agreement entered into in June 2006.

Click here for more information on Albuferon.


LymphoStat-B® (belimumab)

LymphoStat-B is a human monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes and inhibits the biological activity of B-lymphocyte stimulator, or BLyS®, which was discovered by HGS. In lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and certain other autoimmune diseases, elevated levels of BLyS are believed to contribute to the production of autoantibodies – antibodies that attack and destroy the body’s own healthy tissues. HGS is currently conducting two pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials of LymphoStat-B in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus ( SLE ): BLISS-76 and BLISS-52. The design of the two trials is similar, except for the duration of therapy, which is 76 weeks in BLISS-76 and 52 weeks in BLISS-52. The primary efficacy endpoint of both trials is the patient response rate at Week 52. Phase 2 clinical results in patients with active SLE suggest that LymphoStat-B achieved a sustained improvement in SLE disease activity across multiple clinical measures, decreased the frequency of disease flares over time, and was well tolerated through 2.5 years on treatment in combination with standard of care. Assuming that these results are confirmed in Phase 3, HGS believes that LymphoStat-B could become a breakthrough treatment for SLE. LymphoStat-B is being developed by HGS and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) under a definitive worldwide co-development and commercialization agreement entered into in August 2006.

Click here for more information on LymphoStat-B.


ABthrax™ (raxibacumab)

ABthrax is a human monoclonal antibody that blocks the binding to cell surfaces of Bacillus anthracis protective antigen, the key facilitator of anthrax toxicity. This prevents the anthrax toxin from entering and killing the cells. ABthrax is being developed under a contract with the U.S. Government, which was secured in June 2006. In December 2007, HGS announced study results that provide the scientific evidence required to establish the efficacy of ABthrax. The Company has also demonstrated that ABthrax was generally safe and well tolerated in two clinical trials in healthy adults. HGS plans to submit the final data package to BARDA and FDA by mid-2008 to support authorization for delivery to the Strategic National Stockpile, and is manufacturing ABthrax on schedule to begin delivery by fall 2008.

The success of HGS drug discovery efforts stems from their proprietary technology and expertise in genomics, the systematic collection and understanding of human genes and their functions, and from our exclusive internal focus on developing human protein and antibody drugs. HGS use collaborations for the development of gene therapy products, small molecule drugs, and diagnostic products discovered using their genomics-based technology. HGS partners have advanced a number of products derived from HGS technology to clinical development.

Human Genome Sciences has assembled a highly capable management team with many years of broad-ranging experience. Its members guide the scientific, medical and business decisions of the Company and work closely with their Board of Directors, which is chaired by Argeris N. Karabelas, PhD. A Management Committee oversees operations, development of business and product opportunities, financing, and strategic marketing. Its members are the senior executives responsible for the principal corporate functions. They are: H. Thomas Watkins, Chief Executive Officer;Craig A. Rosen, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer; James H. Davis, Ph.D., J.D., Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary; Barry A. Labinger, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer; Steven C. Mayer, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; David C. Stump, M.D., Executive Vice President, Drug Development; and Susan Bateson McKay, Senior Vice President, Human Resources.

O/S: 131.43M
Float: 130.26M
% Held by Institutions: 92.00%

[Shocker00]

Chart looks good. This stock has plenty of room to run. It has some Weak resistance at 7.80 and then nothing until 9.40. Nice macd crossover today. Full sto crossed the 50 line. This Stock has a huge short position some saying its up around 25% of the float.

[Shocker00]

This stock is running early. up 3% already. Might be ready to breakout.

[Volatile22]

I know tomorrows focus will be on the financials, but this one caught my attention. Check out the chart:

http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt238/Volatile22/HGSI.jpg

Insider buys at .72 by the director were reported on the 3/13 as well.

http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt238/Volatile22/HGSIBuys-1.jpg

Not sure how much juice this one has left in it, but its about to cross the 50 day ma.


Some basic background from etrade Human Genome Sciences (HGS)is a commercially focused biopharmaceutical company. The Company has three products in late-stage clinical development: Albuferon for chronic hepatitis C, LymphoStat-B for systemic lupus erythematosus and ABthraxtm for inhalation anthrax. Albuferon and LymphoStat-B are progressing toward commercialization. In December 2008, the Company reported that Albuferon met its primary endpoint in the first of two Phase III clinical trials in chronic hepatitis C. HGS also has several drugs in earlier stages of clinical development for the treatment of cancer, led by its TRAIL receptor antibody HGS-ETR1 and a small-molecule antagonist of IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) proteins.

[fz4fun]

Some additional info to review from April 3rd

April 3 (Reuters) - Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Human Genome Sciences Inc (HGSI) to "marketperform" from "outperform," citing difficulty in predicting the outcome of the late-stage trial of the company's lupus drug.

Analyst Geoffrey Porges, who slashed his price target on the stock to $3.20 from $10, said the odds of success for the biotechnology company's lupus drug Lymphostat B are low.

"Lymphostat remains a conundrum with the potential for positive phase III results in July and November this year but with the burden of multiple prior drug development failures in this indication, most recently including Genentech's Rituxan," Porges said.

Last month, Genentech ROG.VX and Biogen Idec Inc (BIIB) said Rituxan failed to meet the main goal of a pivotal trial testing the drug as a treatment for lupus nephritis, a type of kidney disease.

Systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly called lupus, is an autoimmune disease which tends to flare up and wane, making it difficult to assess the effectiveness of any treatment and has been more than 30 years since a new therapy has been approved for the disease.

Shares of Human Genome Sciences closed at 87 cents Thursday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Anuradha Ramanathan in Bangalore; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

[Volatile22]

Some additional info to review from April 3rd

April 3 (Reuters) - Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Human Genome Sciences Inc (HGSI) to "marketperform" from "outperform," citing difficulty in predicting the outcome of the late-stage trial of the company's lupus drug.

Analyst Geoffrey Porges, who slashed his price target on the stock to $3.20 from $10, said the odds of success for the biotechnology company's lupus drug Lymphostat B are low.

"Lymphostat remains a conundrum with the potential for positive phase III results in July and November this year but with the burden of multiple prior drug development failures in this indication, most recently including Genentech's Rituxan," Porges said.

Last month, Genentech ROG.VX and Biogen Idec Inc (BIIB) said Rituxan failed to meet the main goal of a pivotal trial testing the drug as a treatment for lupus nephritis, a type of kidney disease.

Systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly called lupus, is an autoimmune disease which tends to flare up and wane, making it difficult to assess the effectiveness of any treatment and has been more than 30 years since a new therapy has been approved for the disease.

Shares of Human Genome Sciences closed at 87 cents Thursday on Nasdaq. (Reporting by Anuradha Ramanathan in Bangalore; Editing by Himani Sarkar)


Thanks FZ, man this is why I hate bio stocks. They are pretty much a coin flip. As soon as tests fail down the toilet they go. It looks like its climbed .57 cents since that article came out though. If I were to play this I would just make it very short term and hop out once testing results are coming out :lol:

For now I am just going to watch this one.

[BadThad]

Anyone buy this? Up 277% to $12.51 yesterday on new of stage 2 biostudy for lupus:

Human Genome Sciences - Google Finance (http://www.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ:HGSI)

[Aufan 1983]

Anyone buy this? Up 277% to $12.51 yesterday on new of stage 2 biostudy for lupus:

Human Genome Sciences - Google Finance (http://www.google.com/finance?q=NASDAQ:HGSI)

I'm in but was late to the party. I bought 100 on the pullback yesterday and managed to get in @ 9.78.

Looks very promising and upgrades are flowing like cheap whiskey this morning

[BadThad]

Up over 35% today on this news:

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) today announced positive results from BLISS-76, the second of two large-scale phase III clinical trials of BENLYSTA™ (belimumab) for treating systemic lupus. A full presentation of results from BLISS-52 was recently shared at the 73rd Annual Scientific meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. Both trials succeeded in meeting their primary endpoints, which should make BENLYSTA eligible for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Both trials demonstrate that treatment with BENLYSTA plus standard of care was superior to that of placebo (inactive agent) plus standard of care. BENLYSTA significantly reduced disease activity. If approved by the FDA, BENLYSTA would be the first drug ever developed and approved specifically for the treatment of lupus.

Sandra C. Raymond, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) issued the following statement.

“We are truly excited to receive this groundbreaking news! Individuals with lupus and their families have waited more than 50 years to hear that it is possible to develop therapies that control the disease. We believe that this is a significant first step in developing the full arsenal of therapies and personalized treatment lupus requires.

“Conducting clinical trials in lupus has been extremely difficult due to many factors including the heterogeneity of the disease, the selection of appropriate clinical trial endpoints, and the confounding role of required background medications given to clinical trial participants. Human Genome Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline have proven that these barriers, while formidable, can be overcome.

“For decades the entire lupus research community has worked hard to better understand the causes and consequences of the disease. The fruits of that labor are starting to emerge. However, now is not the time for complacency. We must band together for lupus and continue to capitalize on the decades of research made possible through the efforts of the many dedicated researchers, physicians, people with lupus, and advocates.

“This announcement by HGS and GSK and the Overcoming Barriers to Drug Development in Lupus report, commissioned by the Lupus Foundation of America to outline recommendations on ways to overcome the barriers to lupus research, combine to serve as a call to action for a national coordinated effort to accelerate the pace of discovery, to develop more tolerable and effective treatments, and to ultimately find a cure for this perilous disease.

“We congratulate HGS and GSK on reaching this important milestone in lupus research and in the development of new therapies for lupus. We also extend our appreciation to the researchers and study volunteers who made this achievement possible: the physicians who have passionately committed to researching this disease, and the companies that continue to invest in finding new and necessary treatments for this devastating disease.”

The next step in the process is for HGS and GSK to submit marketing applications in the United States, Europe and other regions during the first half of 2010. The LFA will closely follow this process, and continue to keep its constituents apprised of developments.


Current stock price: $25.35

[affreillc]

Human Genome Sciences (HGS) was established over 18 years ago and has been a pioneer in the development of novel therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). By focusing on SLE, HGS has made significant progress in the development of BENLYSTA for SLE therapy. As of now, no novel therapies exist for the treatment of the growing market of SLE patients.

Biotech Explorers, Inc. | Home (http://www.biotechexplorers.com)

[greencat]

HGSI has a cup and handle pattern and looks like it may move up to around $15

HGSI Chart
http://www.profitspi.com/stock-chart-str.aspx?id=HGSI&ca=1926553061

[greencat]

HGSI looks ready to take off for a nice move..

HGSI has a cup and handle pattern and looks like it may move up to around $15

HGSI Chart
http://www.profitspi.com/stock-chart-str.aspx?id=HGSI&ca=1926553061