GlaxoSmithKline PLC has removed all of the executive officers of Human Genome Sciences Inc. as part of its $3.6 billion acquisition of the Rockville-based biotech, including President and CEO Tom Watkins, according to a securities filing on Monday.
Whether Glaxo would keep the local company’s management in place was the subject of great speculation after the buyout was announced earlier this month. Watkins, who had helmed the Maryland drugmaker since 2004, has been replaced by Deirdre Connelly, GSK’s president of North America Pharmaceuticals.