Management tracks: Garland to lead Portola; Gallagher joining Abingworth

Hematology company Portola Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLA) hired Scott Garland as president and CEO. He replaces CEO Bill Lis, who retired Aug. 1. Interim Co-Presidents John Curnutte, the company’s head of R&D, and Mardi Dier, its CFO, led the company following Lis' departure. The company is looking for a chief commercial officer to replace EVP and Chief Commercial and Business Officer Tao Fu, who is slated to step down Friday (see "Amid Launch Troubles, Portola Commercial Chief Resigns").

Garland, who was president of Vifor Pharma Ltd. (SIX:VIFN) subsidiary Relypsa Inc., will be replaced in the interim by Relypsa SVP and CCO Patrick Treanor. Vifor also said it hired Barbara Angehrn as CBO, a newly created position. She founded and was CEO of Stepstone Pharma GmbH (Zurich, Switzerland), which in-licenses and commercializes pharmaceutical products in Europe. Vifor is a renal, hematologic and infectious disease company...