Human Genome Sciences shares jump on test results - Washington Business Journal:

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The company said that, afte r four years, a mid-stage clinical trial of its formeer LymphoStat-B lupus drug, now callede belimumab and brandedas Benlysta, helped improve the conditions of 57 perceny of systemic lupus erythematosus patients, compared to 46 percent of patients after only one year. Humann Genome Sciences (NASDAQ: HGSI) also saw a significant decreases in side effects betweenthe one-year and four-yeafr assessments.
The news gave some comfort to investors, who have been skepticall of thelupus drug’s chances for With trading volumes at nearly six times dailuy averages, investors drove Human Genome stock up by as much as 28 perceng since Thursday’s opening bell before it settler at $3.22, a 19 percent bump, by late afternoon. the company will underglo a more rigorous test on Wall Streernext month, when it expects to release the firsf batch of results from a late-stage clinical trial of belimumab. The secon batch is slated for aNovembefr release.
Human Genome Sciences is in the final stages of conductintgtwo third-phase trials, each with more than 800 One is lasting for 76 weeks and another for 52 weeks, though both will be measured for theitr effectiveness at 52 weeks. Lupus, whicbh hasn’t seen a new treatmentt on the market in the last five offers some inviting market share to the first company toreversed that, but analysts have brushed off Humanm Genome Sciences’ chances as being unlikely give n how difficult of a diseaswe lupus is to treat. In California-based Genentech Inc.
and Massachusetts-based Biogen Idec racked up one of the most recentf failuresin third-stage clinical trials for a drug to treayt lupus nephritis, a kidney inflammation that’w a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. Human Genomew Sciences’ initial Phase II triall for belimumab was conducted with 449 patients in 2005 in a triaplthat hadn’t achieved everything it had set out to do, thougj patients were measured after less than a year in some casesd at that time. The company continueds to track patients who volunteeredd to remain in the midstagetrials -- 345 or 77 percent, after 52 296 patients, or 66 percent, aftedr 76 weeks; and 213 or 47 percent, as of June 1.