PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 24 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Vivo Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in life science investments, today announced that James Huang will join the firm as an Executive in Residence. With his extensive business development and operating experience, Mr. Huang will work with Vivo's portfolio companies while enhancing the firm's presence in Asia.
"We are excited about James coming on board and what he will be able to bring to Vivo," said Frank Kung, Managing Partner of Vivo Ventures. "His extensive relationships throughout the pharmaceutical industry, his impressive track record in closing multiple business development partnerships, and his experience in building companies make him a valuable asset to our team and our portfolio companies."
"Vivo Ventures is one of the best recognized life sciences venture firms in the U.S. and in Asia. I am very enthused about the opportunity to contribute to the success of Vivo's existing and future portfolio companies," commented James Huang.
About James Huang
With 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, James joins Vivo from Anesiva, where he has served as president since September 2005. Previously, he had served as Anesiva's senior vice president of business development and commercial operations.
He joined Anesiva from Tularik Inc., where he held the position of vice president of business development and commercial operations and led the development and negotiation of commercial and scientific collaborations, alliances, and licensing agreements. Among the most notable include: a collaboration with Medarex to develop and commercialize human therapeutic antibodies; a collaboration with Sankyo to jointly discover and develop human therapeutics related to orphan G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs); as well as other technology collaborations and corporate development acquisitions. Mr. Huang also guided strategic planning and execution for Tularik's marketing programs.
Prior to Tularik, Mr. Huang was product director of Avandia and diabetes at SmithKline Beecham PLC (now GlaxoSmithKline) where he launched Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate), which achieved over $2 billion in U.S. sales last year. In addition, he held positions in New Product Development and Worldwide Business Development, negotiating and closing in-licensing agreements for compounds, and managing technology collaborations and corporate development acquisitions.
Mr. Huang also held various positions in Bristol-Myers Squibb's Worldwide Strategic Product Planning, Managed Care and Sales and Marketing organizations, and research and development positions at Alza Corporation (now a Johnson & Johnson company).
He received an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business and earned a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
About Vivo Ventures
Vivo Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on the life sciences formed in 1996 with over $650M under management. With over 90 years of scientific and operational expertise in biotechnology, Vivo helps its portfolio companies develop corporate strategy, arrange licensing agreements and strategic alliances, recruit key management personnel, and acquire new products and technology to accelerate growth. Its current portfolio includes more than 60 private and public biotechnology companies in the areas of biopharmaceuticals, specialty pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. For more information, visit http://www.vivoventures.com.
