NOVATO, Calif., June 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel products for serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, today announced it has promoted Erik Harris to Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, effective June 11, 2019. He will continue to report to Vlad Hogenhuis, M.D., Chief Operating Officer, and will now serve on the Executive Leadership Team. Mr. Harris joined Ultragenyx in 2017 as Senior Vice President, Head of North American Commercial Operations, leading the launches of Crysvita® (burosumab) and Mepsevii® (vestronidase alfa). In his new role, Mr. Harris will be responsible for all commercial operations in North America, Europe, and Latin America.
“Erik has proven his ability to build and lead a team that has successfully launched two rare disease treatments in North America,” said Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Ultragenyx. “He is a strong, results-oriented leader and I’m looking forward to his continued success as he expands the scope and geographic responsibility of his role.”
“Ultragenyx has made tremendous progress in establishing a global commercial organization that has rapidly provided access to two important therapies, and I am excited to build on the launch momentum as we bring these medicines to more patients around the world,” said Erik Harris.
Prior to joining Ultragenyx in 2017, Mr. Harris spent six years at Crescendo Bioscience, a subsidiary of Myriad Genetics, Inc. At Crescendo he held various leadership positions, most recently as Vice President of Commercial, leading all aspects of marketing, sales, managed care and customer service. Mr. Harris previously served as Vice President of Pulmonology Marketing at Intermune, Inc. Earlier in his career he held positions in the commercial organizations at Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Genentech, Inc., and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. In addition to the Crysvita and Mepsevii launches, Mr. Harris has been involved in the launches of Tarceva®, Tysabri® and Vectra-DA®. To begin his professional career, Mr. Harris served as a Lieutenant Commander in Naval Aviation and Congressional Fellow for the United States Navy. He received his Masters of Business Administration at the Wharton School of Business, and Bachelor of Science at the United States Naval Academy.
About Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.
Ultragenyx is a biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing to patients novel products for the treatment of serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases. The company has built a diverse portfolio of approved therapies and product candidates aimed at addressing diseases with high unmet medical need and clear biology for treatment, for which there are typically no approved therapies treating the underlying disease.
The company is led by a management team experienced in the development and commercialization of rare disease therapeutics. Ultragenyx’s strategy is predicated upon time and cost-efficient drug development, with the goal of delivering safe and effective therapies to patients with the utmost urgency.
For more information on Ultragenyx, please visit the Company's website at www.ultragenyx.com.
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