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| HUMAN GENOME SCIENCES APPOINTS NEW MEMBERS TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS | |
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ROCKVILLE, Maryland -- September 17, 2003 -- Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) announced today the appointments of two new members to its Board of Directors. The new Directors are Betsy S. Atkins, President and CEO of Baja LLC, and William D. Young, Chairman and CEO of ViroLogic, Inc., and former President and Chief Operating Officer of Genentech. Ms. Atkins brings to Human Genome Sciences more than twenty years of experience in corporate governance. She is president and CEO of Baja LLC, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Coral Gables, Florida. Ms. Atkins was a co-founder and Director of Ascend Communications, a maker of Internet infrastructure equipment, where she played a key role in taking Ascend Communications public, setting global strategies, and growing the company to $5.4 billion in worldwide sales before it was acquired by Lucent Technologies in 1999 for $23 billion. After leaving Ascend, Ms. Atkins served as CEO, President and Chairman of NCI, a privately held company specializing in functional and neutraceutical foods. Ms. Atkins led NCI's turnaround and repositioned it from a private label contract manufacturer to a specialized, high tech, functional food company. NCI subsequently was acquired by a Belgian conglomerate. Ms. Atkins serves on the Boards of Directors of Polycom (Nasdaq: PLCM) and UTStarcom (Nasdaq: UTSI). She also serves as a Trustee of Florida International University, and as a Presidential Appointee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Ms. Atkins holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts. Mr. Young brings to Human Genome Sciences more than thirty years of leadership experience in the biotechnology industry. Since 1999, he has served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of ViroLogic (Nasdaq: VLGC), a biotechnology company that is focused on developing and marketing innovative products to treat serious viral, immunologic, and oncologic diseases. From 1980 until joining ViroLogic, Mr. Young held a series of positions of increasing responsibility for Genentech in the areas of process sciences, manufacturing, engineering, quality control and assurance, and regulatory affairs. Mr. Young was named Executive Vice President in 1996 and Chief Operating Officer in 1997, with responsibility for all of Genentech's product development, operations, and commercial functions. Prior to joining Genentech, Mr. Young was employed by Eli Lilly and Company for more than fourteen years, holding positions in production and process engineering, and production management. At Eli Lilly, Mr. Young was responsible for process development and plant design for recombinant human insulin, the first product derived from recombinant DNA technology to be cleared for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Mr. Young is a member of the Board of Directors of IDEC Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: IDPH), as well as serving on the Boards of Directors of several private biotechnology companies. Mr. Young holds a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Indiana University. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1993 for his many contributions to biologicals manufacturing technology. Human Genome Sciences also announced today that Alan G. Spoon, Managing General Partner, Polaris Venture Partners, has resigned from the Human Genome Sciences Board of Directors to devote more time to his responsibilities at Polaris Venture Partners and to the management of his own growing portfolio of venture investments. Mr. Spoon said, "The Human Genome Sciences management team has built one of the world's most productive and expansive platforms for the discovery and clinical advancement of promising new drugs. I am confident that Human Genome Sciences' goal of becoming a leading fully integrated biopharmaceutical enterprise can and will be achieved. I have thoroughly enjoyed my tenure as a member of the company's Board of Directors and look forward to following their continued progress in the years to come." William A. Haseltine, Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are honored to have Betsy Atkins and Bill Young join our Board of Directors. Each brings a combination of entrepreneurial, executive and technological experience at the most senior levels of leadership in their respective industries. We look forward to benefiting from their insights as we continue to progress toward our goal of becoming a global biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets our own gene-based products to treat and cure disease. "We thank Alan Spoon for his years of service and wise counsel. Throughout his five-year term as a Director of Human Genome Sciences, we have found Alan's strategic and financial insights of great value. He has been an invaluable adviser and friend. All of us at Human Genome Sciences will miss him and wish him well." For additional information on Human Genome Sciences, please visit our web site at www.hgsi.com. Health professionals interested in clinical studies involving HGSI products are encouraged to inquire via the Contact Us section of the Human Genome Sciences web site, www.hgsi.com/products/request.html, or by calling us at (301) 610-5790, extension 3550. Human Genome Sciences is a company with the mission to treat and cure disease by bringing new gene-based drugs to patients. HGS and Human Genome Sciences are trademarks of Human Genome Sciences, Inc. 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 planned 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. 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.
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