Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE) Appoints Dennis Huang As Chief Technical Operations Officer And Senior Vice President

NOVATO, Calif., June 4, 2015 (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 it has appointed Dennis Huang as its Chief Technical Operations Officer. In this role, Mr. Huang will be responsible for developing and implementing manufacturing and supply chain strategies for all Ultragenyx products from inception to commercialization. He will be responsible for managing all aspects of clinical and commercial manufacturing operations and provide leadership and direction to the technical operations team. He will report to Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., Ultragenyx's CEO, and will serve on the Executive Leadership Team.

Most recently, Mr. Huang was the Senior Vice President of Manufacturing and Supply Chain for InterMune, Inc., where he led the global manufacturing organization and supply chain activities for the company. This includes development of the supply chain strategy, rationalization of the manufacturing network and management of the distribution channels. Prior to InterMune, he served as the Vice-President of Biologics Manufacturing and Development for Allergan, Inc. Earlier in his career, Mr. Huang held several positions at Novartis AG (formerly Chiron, Inc.), at Genentech, Inc. and Synergen (currently Amgen Inc.), where he worked in a number of increasing management roles including manufacturing, quality and process development. He holds a BA in Chemistry from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Executive team, I am pleased to welcome Dennis to Ultragenyx. Dennis' expertise and experience in global manufacturing of biologics and small molecule products will be extremely beneficial to Ultragenyx as we progress our clinical program and prepare for commercialization in the next few years," said Dr. Kakkis. "I look forward to working with Dennis as he continues to develop our manufacturing operations and contract manufacturing relationships that will allow the company to deliver treatments to rare disease patients who need it most."

"Ultragenyx is at an exciting stage and I am thrilled about joining a team that is dedicated and committed to developing novel therapies for these patients who have no approved treatments," commented Mr. Huang. "I look forward to working with the leadership team to support the continued progress towards commercialization and growth of the company's product pipeline."

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.

CONTACT: Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. Investors & Media Robert Anstey 844-758-7273