Genentech Summary

In 1973, HerbertBoyer, HerbertBoyer and Stanley Cohen pioneered recombinant DNA technology when they spliced frog genes into a bacterium. In 1976, venture capitalist Robert A.Swanson, Robert A.Swanson met with Boyer for a ten-minute meeting that stretched into three hours. Swanson’s infectious enthusiasm for recombinant DNA technology captivated Boyer, who left academia to cofound Genentech with Swanson.Genentech

Genentech used Genetic engineeringgenetically engineered microorganisms to synthesize a new category of drugs. Its scientists succeeded in producing somatostatin, a human protein, in a microorganism in 1977 and in cloning human insulin and human growth hormone in 1978 and 1979, respectively. Genentech went public in 1980, and its stock rocketed from $35 to $88 a share in less than an hour, which constitutes one of the largest stock run-ups ever.

In 1982, Genentech licensed the right to market human insulin, the first drug made by recombinant DNA technology, to Eli Lilly, and in 1985, Genentech received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market its first product, Protropin (somatrem, a polypeptide hormone), for children with growth hormone deficiency. In the following years, it has created other products using DNA recombinant technology to treat diseases and conditions, including cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, stroke, heart attack, cystic fibrosis, allergic asthma, plaque psoriasis, and macular degeneration.

In 2007, Genentech’s net income was $2.8 billion, a 31 percent increase from the previous year, and its total operating revenue was $11.7 billion, a 26 percent increase from the previous year. Its diluted earnings per share were $2.79, a 31 percent increase from 2006.

Food and Drug Administration

Genetic engineering

Health care industry

Industrial research

Patent law

Pharmaceutical industry