NOVATO, Calif., June 20, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ:RARE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel products for rare and ultra-rare diseases, today announced that it has appointed Karah Parschauer as Executive Vice President, General Counsel. In this newly created role, she will be responsible for leading the company’s legal, compliance, and corporate governance functions. She will report to Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., Ultragenyx's Chief Executive Officer, and will serve on the Executive Leadership Team.
Before joining Ultragenyx, Ms. Parschauer spent 11 years at Allergan plc, most recently as Vice President, Associate General Counsel. In this role, she served as Head of Legal and Compliance for Allergan’s Medical Aesthetic division and Chief Privacy Officer. Prior to Allergan, Ms. Parschauer was an Associate Attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP where she practiced in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, and corporate governance. She received a B.A. in Biology from Miami University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. Ms. Parschauer is a member of the State Bars of California and Illinois.
“I am pleased to welcome Karah to our leadership team as we advance our programs and come closer to bringing therapies to patients," said Dr. Kakkis. "Her industry experience will provide a valuable perspective to our team and will help facilitate Ultragenyx’s continued growth and success."
“I am joining the company because of its long-term vision and dedication to developing novel therapies for patients with rare genetic diseases, and I am excited to work with the team to accomplish this,” said Ms. Parschauer.
About Ultragenyx
Ultragenyx is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing to market novel products for the treatment of rare and ultra-rare diseases, with a focus on serious, debilitating genetic diseases. Founded in 2010, the company has rapidly built a diverse portfolio of product candidates with the potential to address diseases for which the unmet medical need is high, the biology for treatment is clear, and for which there are no approved therapies.
The company is led by a management team experienced in the development and commercialization of rare disease therapeutics. Ultragenyx’s strategy is predicated upon time and cost-efficient drug development, with the goal of delivering safe and effective therapies to patients with the utmost urgency.
For more information on Ultragenyx, please visit the company’s website at www.ultragenyx.com.