Healthcare >> CEO Interviews >> January 10, 2001
JAMES E. RURKA, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Microcide
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Before joining Microcide Pharmaceuticals in
February 1994, Mr. Rurka gained a wide range of health care operations
experience during his 25 years in the US Pharmaceutical and
Biotechnology industries. He was most recently President of the Cetus
Oncology division of Chiron Corporation (a 95-person, $40 million sales
revenue group), with US responsibility for clinical research, business
development, project management and marketing/sales functions for the
company's cancer and infectious disease therapeutic products. Prior to
joining Cetus Corporation in 1983 as Vice President-Marketing and
Business Development, Mr. Rurka held several group marketing and product
management positions at Bristol Laboratories and Schering Laboratories.
In these positions, he had direct P&L responsibility for antibiotic and
cancer therapeutics businesses of approximately $75-100 million. Mr.
Rurka holds a Bachelor's degree in English with a minor in Business from
Seton Hall University, where he also attended its Graduate School of
Business. Profile
DONALD D. HUFFMAN, Vice President, Finance and Corporate Development,
Chief Financial Officer, joined Microcide Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in June
2000. Mr. Huffman was most recently vice president, finance &
administration and chief financial officer at Celtrix Pharmaceuticals,
Inc. Prior to Celtrix, Mr.Huffman was vice president and chief financial
officer of Endosonics Corporation, and he previously served in the same
capacity at Qualimatrix, Inc. In addition, Mr. Huffman held senior
financial management positions at Furon Company and Alumax Inc. He
received an MBA from State University of New York at Buffalo and a BS
from Pennsylvania State University. Profile
Pharmaceuticals?
Mr. Rurka: Microcide has the deepest and broadest discovery and early
development capability in the
