Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that Dr. John Curnutte, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Head of Research and Development, will retire on May 17, 2019, after more than eight years of distinguished service. Dr. Curnutte will remain in a consultancy role, providing guidance to Portola’s President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Garland and engaging with key academic and scientific thought leaders in the field on the ongoing development of Andexxa® [coagulation factor Xa (recombinant), inactivated-zhzo] and cerdulatinib. Moving forward, and effective May 1, 2019, the Company’s research efforts will be led by Pamela Conley, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research, who has contributed to the discovery and development of Portola’s portfolio for more than 15 years. The Company expects to name a permanent Chief Medical Officer upon completion of the previously announced executive search. During the transition period, Portola’s Vice President of Medical Affairs, Jeff Myers, M.D., Ph.D., will serve as interim Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Myers is a former pediatric cardiac surgeon with extensive experience leading Medical Affairs for a number of large biotech and pharmaceutical companies, including Gilead Sciences, Inc. and Genzyme.