SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today the appointment of Mardi Dier to the position of chief financial officer. Ms. Dier brings significant financial and investor relations experience to Portola, most recently as vice president of investor relations for Chiron Corporation.
“Mardi’s experience developing and maintaining relationships between Wall Street and biopharmaceutical companies will be a significant asset to the Portola team,” said Charles Homcy, M.D., president and CEO of Portola. “As we continue to advance our anti-thrombotic drug candidates through clinical trials, we look forward to working with Mardi to accurately represent the full potential of Portola to the financial community.”
Ms. Dier served as vice president of investor relations at Chiron Corporation until it was acquired by Novartis Pharmaceuticals in April 2006. While at Chiron, her responsibilities included developing relationships with Wall Street and communicating the company’s financial performance and growth strategy for more than 30 commercial products as well as for a number of pipeline opportunities. Prior to joining Chiron, she served as a director in the west coast life sciences practice at Prudential Securities, where she focused on client development, equity underwriting, and mergers and acquisitions. Ms. Dier holds an MBA from The Anderson School at the University of California, Los Angeles and a BS in biology from Stanford University.
“Since Portola’s founding in 2003, the team has achieved many significant milestones such as advancing their factor Xa anticoagulant into Phase II clinical trials, building a pipeline of anti-thrombotic drug candidates, and securing venture capital financing from top tier investors,” commented Ms. Dier. “I look forward to becoming a part of this incredible team and contributing to their fight against heart disease.”
About Portola
Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a private biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for acute and chronic cardiovascular and vascular disease. Portola is conducting a Phase II clinical trial with its oral Factor Xa inhibitor for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis, and a Phase I clinical program with its direct-acting, oral and IV ADP receptor antagonist. These drug candidates could potentially advance patient care in the $14 billion anti-thrombotics market. Portola also has a robust drug discovery platform focusing on the platelet and signaling pathways that mediate thrombosis and inflammation. Portola’s investors include Abingworth, Alta Partners, ATV, Frazier Healthcare Ventures, MPM Capital, Prospect Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures.
Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
CONTACT: Trista Morrison of Porter Novelli Life Sciences, +1-619-849-6006,or tmorrison@pnlifesciences.com, for Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Web site: http://www.portola.com/
