XenoPort, Inc. Names William J. Rieflin, Former Tularik Executive, As President
(Couple of months old, but parking as the company looks interesting (lot of ex-Affymax people), and is well funded...)
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- :XenoPort, Inc. today announced that William J. Rieflin has joined XenoPort as president. In this role, he will oversee the corporate development, human resources, legal and administrative functions, reporting to Ronald W. Barrett, Ph.D., chief executive officer. Mr. Rieflin is the former executive vice president, administration and chief financial officer, general counsel and secretary of Tularik Inc.
"Bill Rieflin joins XenoPort with exceptional experience in building a successful biopharmaceutical company. His expertise is an outstanding complement to the skills of XenoPort's management team," said Dr. Barrett. "Bill's appointment as president marks a milestone in our company's transition from an R&D focused firm to one engaged in building a leading biopharmaceutical business. I am pleased to welcome him to XenoPort."
"Under Ron Barrett's leadership, XenoPort has assembled powerful research and development capabilities and has created a pipeline of drug candidates that address important medical needs and large potential markets," said Mr. Rieflin. "I look forward to working in close partnership with Ron and his team to advance XenoPort's business and strategic goals."
At Tularik, Mr. Rieflin managed the finance, business and legal departments. In particular, he was responsible for negotiating and structuring numerous financing, collaboration, licensing and acquisition transactions, culminating in the acquisition of Tularik by Amgen Inc. Prior to joining Tularik, Mr. Rieflin worked at AMSCO International, Inc. as vice president, human resources, general counsel and secretary. Previously, Mr. Rieflin worked with the law firm of Sidley & Austin, and before that was a sales representative for American Hospital Supply Company. He holds an M.B.A. degree from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business and received his J.D. degree from Stanford Law School.
About XenoPort
XenoPort, Inc., based in Santa Clara, California, is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on harnessing the body's intrinsic cellular transport systems to improve the oral absorption, distribution and pharmacokinetics of drugs. XenoPort is currently applying its technology to off-patent drugs to create new patentable Transported Prodrugs with improved medicinal properties. XP13512, a Transported Prodrug of gabapentin, is the first of several product candidates in XenoPort's portfolio and is currently being examined as a treatment for both restless legs syndrome and post-herpetic neuralgia in Phase IIa clinical studies. XenoPort intends to develop its product candidates through clinical proof of concept prior to establishing partnerships for further development and commercialization... |
