From Satellites To Pharmaceuticals
Matthew Herper, 04.22.10, 03:00 PM EDT
Forbes Magazine dated May 10, 2010
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0510/second-acts-pharmaceuticals-orphan-drugs-pah-deep-breaths.htmlMartine Rothblatt came down from the stars to save her daughter. In the process she gave new life to the orphan-drug business.
In 1990, 6-year-old Jenesis Rothblatt's lips turned blue. The little girl gasped for breath, could not climb stairs and was soon in the intensive care unit of Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
The disaster began a transformation for Jeni's father--and a change in the way drugs for rare diseases are developed. Martin Rothblatt, a lawyer and businessman, turned his childhood passion for outer space into founding a series of companies that made him millions of dollars. First came GeoStar, a GPS-based navigation system, in 1986, then an early satellite radio company called Worldspace and finally Sirius Satellite Radio ( SIRI - news - people ) in 1990. In 1994 he underwent gender reassignment surgery and changed his name to Martine. Now a she, 55, Martine remains married to Jeni's mom.
