Vivo Ventures Expands Team with the Addition of James Huang as an Executive in Residence

    PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 24 /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.
 
 

SOURCE Vivo Ventures