History

ZymoGenetics, Inc. was founded in 1981 by three noted university professors: Earl W. Davie, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of Washington; Benjamin D. Hall, Professor of Genetics at the University of Washington; and the late Michael Smith, Professor of Biochemistry at the University of British Columbia and 1993 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.

Our early focus on the development of production systems for recombinant proteins led to a 1982 collaboration with Novo Nordisk A/S for the production of recombinant human insulin in yeast. In 1988, Novo Nordisk acquired ZymoGenetics as a wholly owned subsidiary. For 12 years, we served as the primary U.S. discovery arm of Novo Nordisk, contributing to the development of several of Novo Nordisk's current products.

In November 2000, ZymoGenetics was re-established as an independent biotechnology company, raising $150 million in a private placement financing. On February 1, 2002, ZymoGenetics raised $120 million in an IPO and began trading on the NASDAQ stock exchange with the ticker symbol ZGEN.

Our first internally developed product, RECOTHROM® Thrombin, topical (Recombinant), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on January 17, 2008 for use as a topical hemostat to control moderate bleeding during surgical procedures and is marketed in the United States.

Based in Seattle, Washington, ZymoGenetics continues to create new protein drugs that will significantly help patients fight their diseases and is an emerging leader among biopharmaceutical companies.