REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Feb. 27, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Codexis, Inc. (Nasdaq:CDXS), a leading developer of biocatalysts for the pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries, today announced the appointment of Patrick Yang, Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Yang brings significant experience in pharmaceutical manufacturing and process development to the Codexis board, following several executive leadership roles within the pharmaceutical industry.
John Nicols, President and CEO of Codexis, said, "Dr. Yang's impressive track record in the pharmaceuticals industry, including leadership positions at Roche, Genentech and Merck, will bring valuable experience to our board. In addition to leveraging his extensive network in the global pharmaceutical industry, Codexis expects to greatly benefit from applying Dr. Yang's broad operational and technological expertise to help accelerate the profitable growth of our biocatalyst business going forward."
Dr. Yang commented, "I am excited to join the board of Codexis, particularly at this important stage in the company's history. The pharmaceutical market is the right focus for Codexis and its great technology, and now that Codexis is fully focused on this market, I can use my 35 years of experience in this industry to create value for both the company's shareholders and customers."
Dr. Yang served most recently as Executive Vice President and Global Head of Technical Operations for F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, a world leader in research-focused pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. In this role, Dr. Yang was responsible for Roche's pharmaceutical and biotech manufacturing operations, process development, quality, regulatory, supply management and distribution functions, and was accountable for more than 15,000 employees worldwide.
Previously, Dr. Yang worked for Genentech, a leading biotechnology company, for about 10 years, where his most recent position was Executive Vice President of Product Operations. At Genentech, Dr. Yang was responsible for Genentech's manufacturing, process development, quality, regulatory affairs and distribution functions. Prior to Genentech, Dr. Yang held several leadership roles at Merck & Co., including Vice President of Asia/Pacific Manufacturing Operations and Vice President of, Supply Chain Management. He also previously worked at General Electric Co. and Life Systems, Inc. Dr. Yang serves on the board of directors of Tesoro Corporation (NYSE:TSO), an independent refiner and marketer of petroleum products.
Dr. Yang earned a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the National Chiaotung University in Taiwan, a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati and a Ph.D. in engineering from the Ohio State University.
About Codexis, Inc.
Codexis, Inc. is a leading developer of biocatalysts for pharmaceutical and fine chemical production. Codexis' proven technology enables scale-up and implementation of biocatalytic solutions to meet customer needs for rapid, cost-effective and sustainable process development – from research to manufacturing. For more information, see www.codexis.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements relating to Codexis' ability to accelerate the profitable growth of its biocatalyst business. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond Codexis' control and that could materially affect actual results. Factors that could materially affect actual results include Codexis' need for additional capital in the future to expand its business; Codexis' dependence on a limited number of products and customers in its pharmaceutical business; Codexis' ability to develop and commercialize new products for the pharmaceutical markets; Codexis' relationships with, and dependence on, its collaborators in its principal markets; Codexis' ability to deploy its technology platform in new market spaces; the success of Codexis' customers' pharmaceutical products in the market and the ability of such customers to obtain regulatory approvals for products and processes; and Codexis' pharmaceutical product gross margins are variable and may decline from quarter to quarter. Additional factors that could materially affect actual results can be found in Codexis' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 12, 2013, including under the caption "Risk Factors." Codexis expressly disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.