HGS REPORTS INTERIM DATA ON ALBUFERON IN HEPATITIS C

Human Genome Sciences (HGS) has reported 12-week interim quality-of-life results from a Phase IIb clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy, safety and impact on health-related quality of life of Albuferon in combination with ribavirin in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C who are naive to interferon alpha-based treatment regimens. The interim results demonstrate that all Albuferon treatment groups consistently performed favorably through week 12 compared with the pegylated interferon alpha treatment group, based on patient-reported disability days and health-related quality of life as measured by the Short Form 36 (SF-36) health survey. The data were presented at the annual Australian Gastroenterology Week in Adelaide, Australia.

Albuferon treatment groups recorded fewer disability days and reported less impairment of health-related quality of life through week 12 of the study than patients in the pegylated interferon treatment group. The 900-microgram Albuferon dose administered at two-week intervals was associated with 75 percent fewer disability days, and the 1,200-microgram Albuferon doses administered at two- and four-week intervals were associated with 25 percent fewer disability days.

Through week 12, based on the SF-36 health assessment, patient-reported outcomes showed that the Albuferon treatment groups consistently performed favorably compared with peginterferon alfa-2a in both the physical and mental component summary measures and in the eight individual domain scores. SF-36 results in the mental health domain demonstrated significantly less impairment of psychological well-being across the Albuferon treatment groups. Of the four treatment arms in the study, the 900-microgram Albuferon dose administered once every two weeks was significantly associated with the least negative impact on mental and physical function, bodily pain, vitality, social functioning and mental health domains, while maintaining efficacy and safety at least comparable to pegylated interferon alpha.

Less worsening of health-related quality of life also was observed in the treatment arms receiving 1,200-microgram Albuferon doses administered at two-week and four-week intervals, respectively, compared with the pegylated interferon alpha treatment group, with clinically meaningful differences observed in bodily pain, mental health and social functioning.

Albuferon is a novel, long-acting form of interferon alpha, which was created by HGS using the Company's proprietary albumin fusion technology. This technology enables scientists to improve the pharmacological properties of therapeutic proteins by fusing the gene that expresses human albumin to the gene that expresses the active protein. Albuferon results from the genetic fusion of human albumin and interferon alpha 2b. Recombinant interferon alpha is approved for the treatment of hepatitis C, hepatitis B and a broad range of cancers.

Albuferon is being developed by HGS and Novartis under an exclusive worldwide development and commercialization agreement entered into in June 2006.