Portola Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:PTLA]]) CEO Bill Lis is retiring from the South San Francisco, CA, drug developer. Lis will also retire from Portola’s board of directors. The company said Lis will remain with the company through Aug. 1, and then step into an advisory role. John Curnutte, Portola’s executive vice president of research and development, and Mardi Dier, chief financial officer, have been appointed interim co-presidents while the company searches for a permanent successor.
Lis joined Portola in 2008. His retirement follows the FDA approval last month of andexanet alfa (Andexxa), a treatment to reverse the effects of blood thinners in cases of life-threatening bleeding. Lis’ tenure also saw FDA approval of betrixaban (Bevyxxa), a drug developed to prevent blood clots in hospitalized patients.
