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

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

October 24, 2007

    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. 


    For more information, please contact:

     Chen Yu
     Vivo Ventures
     Tel: [phone]