type fully owned subsidiary industry biotechnology founded boston massachusetts 1981 headquarters cambridge massachusetts united states key people david meeker md products cerezyme fabrazyme synvisc renagel more complete product list revenue us 4.61 billion 2007 calendar 1 operating income us 581 million 2007 calendar 1 net income us 421 million 2007 calendar 1 number of employees 12 000 2010 parent sanofi website sanofigenzyme.com sanofi genzyme is an american biotechnology company based in cambridge massachusetts . since its acquisition in 2011 genzyme has been a fully owned subsidiary of sanofi . in 2010 genzyme was the world s third largest biotechnology company which employed more than 11 000 people around the world . as a subsidiary of sanofi genzyme has a presence in approximately 65 countries including 17 manufacturing facilities and 9 genetic testing laboratories . its products are also sold in 90 countries . in 2007 genzyme generated 3.8 billion in revenue with more than 25 products in the market . in 2006 and 2007 genzyme was named one of fortune magazine s 100 best companies to work for . the company donated 83 million worth of products worldwide ; in 2006 it made 11 million in cash donations . in 2005 genzyme was awarded the national medal of technology the highest level of honor awarded by the president of the united states to america s leading innovators . 2 contents 1 history 2 operations 3 contamination incidents 4 products 5 lobbying 6 takeover bid 7 lawsuit over marketing of seprafilm 8 references 9 external links history edit the company was started by sheridan snyder and george m. whitesides in 1981 . 3 genzyme s scientific founder was henry blair who had a contract with the national institutes of health nih to produce modified enzymes for the nih to test in clinical trials . 4 blair was a technician at the new england enzyme center at tufts medical school . 4 genzyme s first office was an old clothing warehouse adjacent to tufts medical school . 4 henry termeer joined genzyme as its president in 1983 and worked to redirect the company which by this time had reached a valuation of us 100 000 000 from its focus on diagnostic enzymes to modified enzymes for use as human therapeutics . 5 in 1984 robin berman md who volunteered at the nih had a three year old son brian who had gaucher s disease . he was scheduled for a spleen removal but his mother pleaded with roscoe brady md and expert in gaucher s disease to include brian in the clinical trial of ceredase along with the other seven patients who were all adults . 6 this trial ultimately failed due to use of too low a dose of the enzyme but ceredase went on to become the company s most important product line receiving fda approval in 1991 5 in 1985 termeer became the company s chief executive officer ceo and in 1986 he took the company public . 5 following the approval and success of ceredase genzyme became devoted to finding drugs involving recombinant human enzymes 5 that would treat enzyme deficiency conditions that were essential to human survival and which usually afflict a very small percentage of the world s population . drugs used to treat such conditions are considered to be orphan drugs . genzyme acquired several of impath s laboratories and cancer testing technologies in may 2004 after impath sought chapter 11 bankruptcy protection . 7 in 2010 the year before the company s acquisition by sanofi aventis genzyme had more than us 400 000 000 in net income on revenue of 4 billion and was the fourth largest american biopharmaceutical company . 5 by this time enzyme therapies accounted for about 40 % of revenues a portfolio managed by the personalized genetic health unit the largest of five operating units . 5 operations edit genzyme focuses on six areas of medicine relating to lysosomal storage diseases renal disease orthopedics transplant and immune diseases oncology genetics and diagnostics . the first orphan drug for genzyme that fda approved was ceredase a drug for treating gaucher disease . ceredase was eventually replaced by cerezyme which at a cost of 200 000 per patient annually for life currently accounts for approximately 30 % of genzyme s revenue . other important drugs made by genzyme are renagel used in treatment of dialysis patients and fabrazyme used to treat patients with fabry s disease . other products in development are tolevamer for clostridium difficile colitis and campath for chronic lymphocytic leukemia . genzyme had a sub license from bioenvision to market clofarabine in north america . on may 29 2007 genzyme made a tender offer to purchase bioenvision for 5.60 per share . on october 27 2007 majority of shareholders voted to approve genzyme s acquisition . 8 in 2007 ceo president and board chairman henri termeer earned a salary of 2.5 million and non cash compensation worth 129 million . 9 in 2010 genzyme launched a kidney medication for the irish market from its waterford base which it had set up nine years previously . 10 contamination incidents edit the troubled genzyme plant in allston massachusetts in june 2009 genzyme s allston massachusetts plant was shut down to correct a viral contamination vesivirus 2117 . a similar event had occurred in 2008 at the geel belgium facilities . by april 2010 it had restarted operation at diminished capacity . 11 in november 2009 fragments of stainless steel rubber and fiber like material were discovered in some of genzyme s drugs . the fda found these materials in cerezyme genzyme s treatment for gaucher disease a rare genetic disorder that can lead to life threatening organ damage . the fda is permitting the drug to stay in the market due to a lack of adverse events and a critical need for the product . 12 supplies of fabrazyme genzyme s treatment for fabry disease have been rationed to one third the recommended dose prompting patients to file a petition asking for a license to produce fabrazyme by other manufacturers to make up the deficit under the bayh dole act . 13 products edit cerezyme fabrazyme aldurazyme myozyme renagel hectorol synvisc carticel thymoglobulin campath clolar thyrogen sepra family of products epicel mozobil cerdelga lobbying edit genzyme has spent more than 8.2 million on lobbying from 2007 to 2009 . in 2009 alone it had 10 different organizations with a total of 49 lobbyists working on its behalf . 14 takeover bid edit on august 30 2010 sanofi announced a bid to acquire genzyme for 18.5 billion . the deal was later rejected by the board of genzyme . on february 16 2011 sanofi declared the full acquisition of genzyme for 20.1 billion . 15 lawsuit over marketing of seprafilm edit in september 2015 genzyme accepted responsibility and agreed to pay 32.59 million over u.s. charges against its marketing of the adhesion barrier product seprafilm . genzyme s sales representatives had been instructing surgeons on how to create a slurry using seprafilm for use during laparoscopic surgeries . this use of seprafilm is not fda approved . 16 genzyme had also reached a 22.28 million civil agreement pertaining to marketing of seprafilm in december 2013 . genzyme was claimed to be in violation of the federal false claims act . 16 references edit a b c yahoo finance . income statement for genzyme . yahoo . retrieved march 16 2007 . the national medal of technology recipients 2005 laureates . the national medal of technology and innovation . united states patent and trademark office . february 19 2009 . retrieved february 26 2009 . michael rosenwald august 2010 . can nanotechnology save lives . smithsonian magazine . retrieved august 16 2012 . a b c bruce morgan april 12 2012 a flair for the business of medicine genzyme founder henry blair started his career working as a technician at tufts medical school tufts now retrieved july 17 2015 a b c d e f glick j. leslie 1 september 2015 . innovation strategies . genetic engineering & biotechnology news . p. 11 . michael margolis nd awareness first step toward treating gaucher article by tv producer and gaucher patient mr. michael margolis retrieved july 17 2015 craig m. douglas may 8 2004 . genzyme scoops impath for 215m new assets will be merged into westborough genetic testing unit . milford daily news . archived from the original on november 5 2012 . associated press october 22 2007 . genzyme claims victory in prolonged bid for bioenvision . international herald tribune france . retrieved november 10 2007 . forbes december 2007 . henri termeer profile . henri teemer profile . retrieved july 10 2008 . new kidney disease medication launched . rt . february 12 2010 . retrieved february 12 2010 . angelo depalma april 15 2010 . viral safety methods for manufacturing . genetic engineering & biotechnology news gen . 30 8 . steel rubber found in some genzyme drugs . reuters . november 13 2009 with a life saving medicine in short supply patients want patent broken . npr.org . august 4 2010 . genzyme corp. client profile summary check url value help center for responsive politics 2008 regan james february 3 2011 . sanofi could announce genzyme deal next week report . reuters . a b stempel jonathan . sanofi s genzyme pays 32.59 million in criminal seprafilm case . reuters . retrieved 10 september 2015 . external links edit wikimedia commons has media related to genzyme . schouten e. genzyme s lifelong commitments . nrc handelsblad . november 24 2005 . http www.gaucher.org.uk cercer.htm hirehealth s website http www.hirehealth.com public companydetails.aspx company id 44719 riskind . p. multiple sclerosis the immune system s terrible mistake . fall 1996 vo . 5 no. 4 . hoovers website http www.hoovers.com genzyme id 13560 free co factsheet.xhtml calabro s. genzyme put patients first and grew to become a multi billion dollar company . but empires don t survive on altruism . pharmaceutical executive march 1 2006 http www.pharmexec.com pharmexec article articledetail.jsp id 310976 & & pageid 7 & searchstring genzyme 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