Robert F. Baltera, Jr. Joins PBS Biotech Advisory Board
Innovative Bioprocess Solutions
NEWS RELEASE, For Immediate Release
Robert F. Baltera, Jr. Joins PBS Biotech Advisory Board
Camarillo, California, January 30, 2012 – PBS Biotech®, Inc., the leading supplier of novel single-use bioreactors for the biopharmaceutical industry, announced today that Robert F. Baltera, Jr., former CEO of Amira Pharmaceuticals, has joined its Advisory Board.
“Bob is a seasoned executive with a wealth of experience from the biopharmaceutical industry that will strongly benefit PBS Biotech as we bring our innovative single-use bioreactor technology to the market,” said Brian Lee, Ph.D., CEO and co-founder of PBS Biotech.
Baltera was the CEO of Amira Pharmaceuticals from July 2007 to September 2011 when the company was sold to Bristol-Myers Squibb for $325 million and an additional $150 million in earn-out milestones. At Amira Pharmaceuticals, a small-molecule pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and early development of new drugs to treat inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, Baltera was instrumental in focusing product development efforts, building its pipeline, leading efforts to establish key collaborations with partners such as GlaxoSmithKline, and successfully managing the sale of the company.
Prior to his role at Amira, Baltera acquired a wealth of business and product management experience during 17 years with biotech pioneer Amgen. At Amgen, Baltera held a number of senior management positions, including his last role as vice president of corporate and contract manufacturing. A scientist by training, Baltera joined Amgen at the beginning of his career as a research associate, and quickly moved to the operations side of the business, working in finance, product development and commercial operations.
“I look forward to helping the PBS Biotech team advance their enabling technology in single-use bioreactors which has a strong opportunity to influence broad adoption in the industry” Baltera said.
Baltera has a master’s of business administration from the Anderson School at UCLA. He earned his bachelor’s degree in microbiology and a master’s degree in genetics from The Pennsylvania State University.
About PBS Biotech
PBS Biotech, Inc. is a US corporation that designs and manufactures fully scalable and easy to use single-use bioreactors used by global biotechnology organizations. The company has patented innovative industrial designs and advanced software driven control systems that produce low shear cell culture solutions improving operational flexibility and process efficiency, reducing operating costs and accelerating time to market for biotechnology customers. With headquarters in Camarillo, CA., PBS Biotech www.pbsbiotech.com is a member of the BioProcess Systems Alliance (BPSA).
Contact: James B. Schultz, VP – Sales & Marketing
+1 805-990-6177
George J. Morrow Joins PBS Biotech Advisory Board
Innovative Bioprocess Solutions
NEWS RELEASE, For Immediate Release
George J. Morrow Joins PBS Biotech Advisory Board
Camarillo, California, January 9, 2012 – PBS Biotech®, Inc., the leading supplier of novel single-use bioreactors for the biopharmaceutical industry, announced today that George J. Morrow, former Executive Vice President, Global Commercial Operations, Amgen Inc, joined its Advisory Board.
“We’re honored to have Mr. Morrow as a member of our Advisory Board,” said Brian Lee, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, PBS Biotech. “With over 30 years of global commercial business operations experience at top biopharmaceutical firms, George has a broad and distinguished record of success. At this critical stage as we transition to a fully commercialized company, we look forward to benefiting from his expertise in the biotech industry,” he said.
“PBS Biotech has developed a novel, single-use bioreactor architecture and product set that holds a great potential to be the game changer for future bio-manufacturing by offering competitive advantage and sustained value. I am looking forward to contributing to the company’s rapid growth, industry adoption and operational success,” Morrow said.
Mr. Morrow served as Executive Vice President, Global Commercial Operations of Amgen Inc. from 2003 until 2011, overseeing all Amgen’s commercial activities in over 50 countries during a period of rapid growth with multiple product launches into competitive markets. From 2001 to 2003, he served as Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Marketing. Prior to Amgen, Mr. Morrow had over 20 years of commercial experience at Merck and GlaxoWellcome Inc.
He served as President and Chief Executive Officer of GlaxoWellcome Inc. and as Managing Director of GlaxoWellcome U.K., both subsidiaries of GlaxoSmithKline plc. He was Group Vice President for Commercial Operations, Glaxo Inc. from 1993-1996.
Mr. Morrow holds a B.S. in chemistry from Southampton College, Long Island University; an M.S. in biochemistry from Bryn Mawr College; and an M.B.A. from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. He is a member of the Duke University Fuqua School of Business Advisory Board and Medical Center Board of Visitors. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Align Technology, a global medical device company, and Human Genome Sciences (NASDAQ: HGSI) a biopharmaceutical firm. Mr. Morrow has served previously on boards for GlaxoWellcome Inc. and Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
About PBS Biotech
PBS Biotech, Inc. is a US corporation that designs and manufactures fully scalable and easy to use single-use bioreactors used by global biotechnology organizations. The company has patented innovative industrial designs and advanced software driven control systems that produce low shear cell culture solutions improving operational flexibility and process efficiency, reducing operating costs and accelerating time to market for biotechnology customers. With headquarters in Camarillo, CA., PBS Biotech www.pbsbiotech.com is a member of the BioProcess Systems Alliance (BPSA).
Contact: James B. Schultz, VP – Sales & Marketing
+1 805-990-6177