SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that William R. Ringo, former president and CEO of Abgenix Inc., has been appointed to the company's Board of Directors.
"Bill brings more than 30 years of general management and commercial experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries to Portola's board," said Charles Homcy, M.D., president and CEO of Portola. "We look forward to his guidance and insight as we continue the clinical development of our Factor Xa inhibitor currently in Phase II and our ADP receptor antagonist which is in Phase I."
Mr. Ringo served as president and CEO of Abgenix from July 2004 until the company's acquisition by Amgen in April 2006. During that time, he oversaw clinical progress with Abgenix's pipeline of antibody therapies and brokered the Amgen acquisition. In 2003, Mr. Ringo served as interim CEO for InterMune, Inc., where he is still the non-executive chairman of the Board of Directors. Prior to joining InterMune, he held various commercial and product marketing positions at Eli Lilly and Co. from 1973 to 2001, and was a member of the company's operations committee. Mr. Ringo has served on numerous biotechnology company boards and is currently a director of Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc. He received a B.S. in management and an M.B.A. from the University of Dayton.
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 pulmonary embolism, 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
Web site: http://www.portola.com/
