SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.,
Feb. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Portola
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.® (Nasdaq: PTLA) today announced
the appointment of Rajiv Patni,
M.D., as executive vice president and chief medical officer,
effective immediately. Dr. Patni brings to his new role two decades
of clinical development and approval experience as a
biopharmaceutical industry leader. As a member of the Executive
Committee, Mr. Patni will report to Scott
Garland, president and chief executive officer,
and will be responsible for leading Clinical
Development, Clinical Operations, Medical Affairs, Regulatory
Affairs, Biometrics, Pharmacovigilance, and Data Management.
![Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Logo (PRNewsfoto/Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.®) Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Logo (PRNewsfoto/Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.®)](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/925086/Portola_Logo.jpg)
"Rajiv brings deep clinical development experience to
Portola that will be invaluable as
we work to establish Andexxa as the standard of care for Factor Xa
patients with life-threatening or uncontrolled bleeding," said
Scott Garland, Portola's president and chief executive
officer. "He will focus on leading our post-market clinical
studies, including label expansion, along with driving our European
regulatory activities. These are key elements of our long-term
growth strategy, and we look forward to his leadership in
strengthening our healthcare community engagement in the U.S. and
Europe further establishing the
clinical and economic differentiation of Andexxa."
During his career, Dr. Patni has contributed to 8 approvals,
across multiple therapeutic areas, including cardiology and
neurology, in both established and growing companies. Before
joining Portola, Dr. Patni was
chief medical officer at Adamas Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a
fully-integrated, development and commercial company focused on
neurological diseases. In this role, he built out the R&D and
medical affairs departments. These efforts resulted in the FDA
approval of GOCOVRI®. Prior to Adamas, Dr. Patni was
Chief Development Officer at Ocera Therapeutics. Earlier in his
career, he held senior roles in clinical development and medical
affairs in Actelion Pharmaceuticals (US affiliate), Roche and
Pfizer.
"I am excited to join Portola
at this pivotal time of growth," said Dr. Patni. "The Company is
uniquely positioned with the first and only reversal agent for
Factor Xa inhibitors, a large and rapidly growing class of
medications. I am eager to contribute to Portola's mission and further enhance
awareness of the potential life-saving benefits and value of
Andexxa."
Dr. Patni received his M.D. from the Mount Sinai School of
Medicine, and completed his training in internal medicine and
cardiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he
remained as an attending physician before joining industry.
Jeff Myers, M.D., Ph.D., who has
served as Portola's interim chief
medical officer since May 2019, will
continue in his role as the Company's senior vice president of
medical affairs.
About Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Portola
Pharmaceuticals is a global, commercial-stage biopharmaceutical
company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization
of novel therapeutics that could significantly advance the fields
of thrombosis and other hematologic conditions. The Company's first
two commercialized products are Andexxa® [coagulation
factor Xa (recombinant), inactivated-zhzo], marketed in
Europe as Ondexxya®
(andexanet alfa), and Bevyxxa® (betrixaban). The company
also is advancing cerdulatinib, a SYK/JAK inhibitor being developed
for the treatment of hematologic cancers. Founded in 2003 in
South San Francisco, California,
Portola has operations in
the United States and Europe.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in
this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts
are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Because such statements
are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ
materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to,
statements regarding Portola's
development plans, growth objectives, the potential benefits of
Portola's drugs and drug
candidates and potential effects on shareholder value. Risks that
contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking
statements include: the risk that physicians, patients and payers
may not see the benefits of utilizing Andexxa for the indications
for which it is approved; our ability to continue to manufacture
our products and to expand approved manufacturing facilities; the
possibility of unfavorable results from additional clinical trials
involving Andexxa; our ability to grow our commercial operations in
the EU and generate product revenue within projected timelines and
budget; the risk that we may not obtain additional regulatory
approvals necessary to expand approved indications for Andexxa; our
expectation that we will incur losses for the foreseeable future
and will need additional funds to finance our operations; the
accuracy of our estimates regarding expenses and capital
requirements; our ability to successfully build a hospital-based
sales force and commercial infrastructure; our ability to obtain
and maintain intellectual property protection for our product
candidates; our ability to retain key scientific or management
personnel and general market conditions. These and other
risks and uncertainties are described more fully in our most recent
filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our
most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking
statements contained in this press release speak only as of the
date on which they were made. We undertake no obligation to update
such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that
exist after the date on which they were made.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/portola-pharmaceuticals-appoints-rajiv-patni-md-as-executive-vice-president-and-chief-medical-officer-300997369.html
SOURCE Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.®