On February 3, 2020 Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTLA) reported the appointment of Rajiv Patni, M.D., as executive vice president and chief medical officer, effective immediately (Press release, Portola Pharmaceuticals, FEB 3, 2020, View Source [SID1234553790]). 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.
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"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.