Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals (RARE) Appoints Jayson Dallas, M.D., As Chief Commercial Officer And Senior Vice President

NOVATO, Calif., June 22, 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 Jayson Dallas, M.D., as its Chief Commercial Officer, effective August 3, 2015. In this newly created role, Dr. Dallas will be responsible for building and leading an innovative global organization required for the successful commercialization of the company's products. He will be responsible for the overall commercial operations, including sales, marketing, reimbursement, and new product planning. He will report to Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., Ultragenyx's CEO, and will serve on the Executive Leadership Team.

Dr. Dallas most recently served as General Manager of Roche in the United Kingdom. Prior to this, at Genentech he held two different positions as Head of Global Oncology Launch Excellence and Biosimilar Strategy and Head of Global Product Strategy for Immunology and Ophthalmology. Prior to joining Genentech, Dr. Dallas worked at Novartis and Pharmacia in the US and previously at Roche in Switzerland. Over the course of his 21 year career in the industry, Dr. Dallas has successfully overseen multiple product launches, internationally and in the US, and has led numerous commercial organizations through periods of rapid growth. Earlier in his career, Dr. Dallas worked in various medical functions within the industry and also as a practicing clinician.

Dr. Dallas holds an MD from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and an MBA from Ashridge Business School in the UK.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Executive Leadership Team, I am pleased to welcome Jayson to Ultragenyx. With two of our clinical programs in Phase 3 studies, this is a critical time to solidify the company's commercial strategy and planning," said Dr. Kakkis. "Jayson's training as a clinician as well as his breadth of experience leading global commercial teams will be vital, as we make progress to delivering therapies to patients."

Dr. Dallas commented, "I am truly excited to be joining the leadership team of an organization whose mission is so close to my heart. I am looking forward to building a global commercial organization that will innovatively deliver unique medicines to patients with rare diseases around the world."

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