8-K

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 14, 2008

HUMAN GENOME SCIENCES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation) 0-022962
(Commission
File Number) 22-3178468
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)

14200 Shady Grove Road, Rockville, Maryland	20850-7464
(Address of principal executive offices)	(ZIP Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (301) 309-8504

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

o Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

o Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

o Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Section 5 – Corporate Governance and Management

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers.

          On February 14, 2008, Maxine Gowen was appointed to serve on the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (the “Company”). Ms. Gowen is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of Trevena, Inc., a private drug discovery company. Prior to joining Trevena, Inc., Ms. Gowen was a pharmaceutical executive at GlaxoSmithKline since 1992.

     In connection with her appointment to the Board, and pursuant to the Company’s Amended and Restated 2000 Stock Incentive Plan, as amended, the Company granted Ms. Gowen options to purchase 25,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a price of $6.47 per share.

     There is no arrangement or understanding between Ms. Gowen and any other person pursuant to which Ms. Gowen was selected as a director. Ms. Gowen presently does not serve on any committee of the Board. Ms. Gowen does not have any family relationship with any director, executive officer or person nominated or chosen by the Company to become a director or an executive officer. The Board has determined that Ms. Gowen is an independent director under applicable Nasdaq rules.

Section 9 – Financial Statements and Exhibits

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

99.1 Press Release dated February 21, 2008.

SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

HUMAN GENOME SCIENCES, INC.
/s/ James H. Davis, Ph.D
Name:	James H. Davis, Ph.D.
Title:	Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Date: February 21, 2008

INDEX TO EXHIBITS

Exhibit No.	Description
Exhibit 99.1	Press Release dated February 21, 2008.

EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

HUMAN GENOME SCIENCES, INC.
14200 Shady Grove Road, Rockville, Maryland 20850

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS:
Jerry Parrott
Vice President, Corporate Communications
301/315-2777
Kate de Santis
Director, Investor Relations
301/251-6003

HUMAN GENOME SCIENCES APPOINTS MAXINE GOWEN, PH.D., TO ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ROCKVILLE, Maryland – February 21, 2008 – Human Genome Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: HGSI) today announced that Maxine Gowen, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Trevena, Inc., a privately held drug discovery company, has been appointed to the HGS Board of Directors. Prior to joining Trevena, Dr. Gowen spent 15 years at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), where she held a series of executive management positions in drug discovery and development and led the GSK venture capital subsidiary, S.R. One.

“Maxine Gowen brings significant leadership experience to HGS in drug discovery, biotechnology venture capital investing, and business development,” said H. Thomas Watkins, President and Chief Executive Officer, HGS. “She has a distinguished record of accomplishment, and we are honored to have her join our Board of Directors. We look forward to benefiting from Maxine’s experience and insight in the years ahead.”

Trevana, which Dr. Gowen currently heads, is based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, and is focused on the discovery and development of novel agents that target G-protein coupled receptors, a family of cell surface receptors with many functions, including immune responses and the regulation of cellular growth and reproduction. Prior to joining Trevena, Dr. Gowen was Senior Vice President of GSK’s Center of Excellence for External Drug Discovery. In that position, Dr. Gowen built and led a new R&D division with a mission to create a drug discovery portfolio through business development alliances with innovative healthcare companies. She joined GSK in 1992 to lead the Musculoskeletal Disease Division, where she initiated and led a number of preclinical and clinical development programs. Before GSK, Dr. Gowen was Senior Lecturer and Head, Bone Cell Biology Group, Department of Bone and Joint Medicine, University of Bath, U.K. Dr. Gowen has been honored with a number of

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research awards and prizes, has authored more than 125 peer-reviewed publications, reviews and book chapters, and holds five patents. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield, U.K., an M.B.A. with academic honors from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.Sc. with Honors in Biochemistry from the University of Bristol, U.K.

About Human Genome Sciences

The mission of HGS is to apply great science and great medicine to bring innovative drugs to patients with unmet medical needs.

The HGS clinical development pipeline includes novel drugs to treat hepatitis C, lupus, anthrax disease, cancer and other immune-mediated diseases. The Company’s primary focus is rapid progress toward the commercialization of its two key lead drugs, Albuferon for hepatitis C and LymphoStat-B (belimumab) for lupus. Phase 3 clinical trials of both drugs are ongoing.

ABthrax (raxibacumab) is in late-stage development for the treatment of anthrax disease, and the Company is on track to begin the delivery in fall 2008 of 20,000 doses of ABthrax to the Strategic National Stockpile under a contract entered into with the U.S. Government in June 2006. Other HGS drugs in clinical development include two TRAIL receptor antibodies for the treatment of cancer. AEG40826, a small-molecule antagonist of IAP (inhibitor of apoptosis) proteins, is expected to enter Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of cancer in early 2008. In addition, HGS has substantial financial rights to certain products in the GlaxoSmithKline clinical development pipeline.

For more information about HGS, please visit the Company’s web site at www.hgsi.com. Health professionals or patients interested in clinical trials of HGS products may inquire via the “Contact Us” section of the Company’s web site, www.hgsi.com/products/request.html, or by calling (301) 610-5790, extension 3550.

HGS, Human Genome Sciences, ABthrax, Albuferon and LymphoStat-B are trademarks of Human Genome Sciences, Inc.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The forward-looking statements are based on Human Genome Sciences’ current intent, belief and expectations. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements because of the Company’s unproven business model, its dependence on new technologies, the uncertainty and timing of clinical trials, the Company’s ability to develop and commercialize products, its dependence on collaborators for services and revenue, its substantial indebtedness and lease

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obligations, its changing requirements and costs associated with facilities, intense competition, the uncertainty of patent and intellectual property protection, the Company’s dependence on key management and key suppliers, the uncertainty of regulation of products, the impact of future alliances or transactions and other risks described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the Company will continue to face risks related to animal and human testing, to the manufacture of ABthrax and to FDA concurrence that ABthrax meets the requirements of the ABthrax contract. If the Company is unable to meet the product requirements associated with the ABthrax contract, the U.S. government will not be required to reimburse the Company for the costs incurred or to purchase any ABthrax doses. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of today’s date. Human Genome Sciences undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this announcement whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.

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