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A Story of Lives Enhanced Minerva Boor was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1994 at age 33. After failing to respond to chemotherapy, radiation and a bone marrow transplant, Minerva started Herceptin treatment in late 1998. She's been on Herceptin since, with no recurrence of cancer and no significant side effects. Today, Minerva enjoys good health and an active life with her husband and two young boys. |
Delivering innovative medicines to patients with serious or life-threatening medical conditions is what Genentech is all about. Since its beginning in 1976, the company has focused its drug discovery efforts solely on therapies that would fill unmet needs. Today, Genentech markets and manufactures nine protein-based products for 10 serious or life-threatening medical conditions giving Genentech one of the leading product portfolios in the biotech industry.
During the last two decades, these medicines have been used to successfully treat over 1 million cardiovascular, oncology, respiratory and growth hormone patients worldwide and this number continues to rise. The positive impact of Genentech's therapies on the lives of patients and their families is a constant inspiration to Genentech's employees.
Because many Genentech products are unique, first-ever therapies, they have actually changed the way healthcare professionals treat certain diseases and disorders while providing new hope to patients. Two prime examples of this innovation at work are the biooncology drugs Herceptin and Rituxan, both of which are monoclonal antibodies precisely targeted therapeutics that can destroy cancer cells without subjecting patients to many of the toxic side effects seen with chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Developed with partner IDEC Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and approved for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1997, Rituxan became the first monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of cancer and has since been used to treat more than 40,000 patients worldwide. Today, Rituxan remains the only monoclonal antibody therapy approved for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a disease affecting some 300,000 Americans.
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| An Amazing Tale of Survival While on duty, emergency room (ER) physician Dr. Ronald Pearson realized he was having a heart attack of his own. Springing into action, Dr. Pearson chose to be treated with the newly approved thrombolytic, TNKase. Twenty minutes after receiving this single-injection clot-buster, Dr. Pearson felt his chest pain subside. Two weeks later, he was back at work in the ER. |
In the cardiovascular arena, Genentech launched the new thrombolytic agent, TNKase, for the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), or heart attack, in mid-2000. The first "clot-buster" able to be administered in a single five-second injection, TNKase represents an important advance in the speed with which heart attack treatment can be delivered. A bioengineered plasminogen activator, TNKase is similar to Genentech's Activase, the recombinant DNA-derived version of naturally occurring tissue-plasminogen activator (t-PA) that revolutionized AMI treatment more than 13 years ago. TNKase's unique features have been specifically designed to prolong its half-life, enabling it to be given as a single injection. It also has been engineered with increased specificity for fibrin, a key component of intracoronary clots, potentially resulting in less disturbance of the body's natural clotting system.
Starting in early 2001, Genentech will copromote the glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitor INTEGRILIN, developed by COR Therapeutics, Inc. and Schering-Plough Corporation. The most widely used GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor in the United States, INTEGRILIN helps prevent the development of blood clots that can occlude arteries in the heart, causing heart attack and death. Through this collaboration, COR and Schering-Plough will copromote the Genentech cardiovascular products, TNKase and Activase.
Four growth hormone products including newcomer Nutropin Depot, a long-acting formulation of growth hormone that offers once- or twice-monthly dosing (and may require more than one injection per dose) and the unique cystic fibrosis medicine, Pulmozyme, comprise Genentech's "opportunistic" area of therapeutic products.
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| Left to right: Kim Popovits, senior vice president, marketing and sales; Joe McCracken, vice president, business and commercial development; Myrtle Potter, executive vice president, commercial operations, and chief operating officer; Diane Parks, vice president, managed healthcare and commercial support; and Claudia Estrin, vice president, decision support and commercial innovation, bring a unique blend of experience, strength and innovation to Genentech's commercial organization. |
Staying ahead of a prolific pipeline and a successful development arm has been a major focus of Genentech. As the company has grown and the complexities of the healthcare industry have increased, so have the skills and capabilities of Genentech's commercial organization.
Introducing and marketing multiple products into new and different markets, directing prelaunch commercial development activities and utilizing cutting-edge sales approaches, Genentech brings the same level of excellence and innovation to its commercial organization as it does to research and development. In recent years, Genentech's commercial organization has experienced a period of expansion and maturation that has helped ensure that the company's products get to all patients who need them and has brought added stockholder value to the company.
The strength of this commercial organization is perhaps best evidenced by Genentech's rapidly established presence in the oncology market within the last three years, with the drugs Herceptin and Rituxan, both of which produced first-year sales that surpassed any previous cancer drug. In partnership with professional societies and advocacy groups, Genentech has ensured that physicians and patients are kept informed and educated about these novel therapies.
The commercialization team is also involved with development activities that bring forward products in the pipeline in the most efficient way to meet the demands of the market and the healthcare community directing market research, sponsoring medical education efforts and developing a leading patient reimbursement assistance program. In an age in which strategic partnerships are an increasingly important part of development, Genentech is continually forming new alliances and collaborations to maximize the value of its portfolio, leverage its assets and garner additional value for patients and stockholders. The company's expertise in commercialization has made it a valuable and sought-after partner.
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Anti-HER2 antibody
- Metastatic breast cancer in HER2 overexpressed tumors
Rituxan® (Rituximab)
Anti-CD20 antibody
- Relapsed or refractory low-grade or follicular, CD20 positive, B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
TNKase™ (Tenecteplase)
Single-bolus thrombolytic agent
- For the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
Activase® (Alteplase, recombinant)
A tissue-plasminogen activator
- AMI
- Acute ischemic stroke
- Acute massive pulmonary embolism
Pulmozyme® (dornase alfa, recombinant)
Inhalation solution
- For the management of cystic fibrosis (including patients under age 5)
Nutropin Depot™ [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injectable suspension]
Growth hormone
- For the treatment of growth failure due to inadequate endogenous growth hormone secretion in children
Nutropin AQ® [somatropin (rDNA origin) injection]
Liquid formulation growth hormone
- Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children and adults
- Growth failure associated with chronic renal insufficiency (CRI) prior to kidney transplantation
- Short stature associated with Turner syndrome
Nutropin® [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection]
Growth hormone
- GHD in children and adults
- Growth failure associated with CRI prior to kidney transplantation
- Short stature associated with Turner syndrome
Protropin® (somatrem for injection)
Growth hormone
- GHD in children