VALENCIA, Calif., April 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MannKind Corporation today announced that Matthew J. Pfeffer will join the company as Corporate Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective April 21, 2008. Mr. Pfeffer will report to Hakan Edstrom, President and Chief Operating Officer, and will serve on MannKind's executive leadership team. Mr. Pfeffer's appointment follows the previously announced retirement of Dick Anderson, who has now transitioned to the role of Corporate Vice President -- Office of the Chairman.
Mr. Pfeffer served as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration of VaxGen, Inc. from March 2006 until April 2008, with responsibility for finance, tax, treasury, human resources, IT, purchasing and facilities functions. Prior to VaxGen, Mr. Pfeffer served as CFO of Cell Genesys, Inc. During his nine-year tenure at Cell Genesys, Mr. Pfeffer served as Director of Finance before being named CFO in 1998. Prior to that, Mr. Pfeffer served in a variety of financial management positions at other companies, including roles as Corporate Controller, Manager of Internal Audit and Manager of Financial Reporting. Mr. Pfeffer began his career at Price Waterhouse. Mr. Pfeffer is a member of the board of directors of Genelabs Technologies, Inc. He also serves on boards and advisory committees of Financial Executives International, the Biotechnology Industry Organization and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Mr. Pfeffer graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and is a Certified Public Accountant.
"Matt is a seasoned and knowledgeable Chief Financial Officer with over 25 years of demonstrated financial management experience. We know that he will play a significant role on MannKind's executive leadership team as we continue to develop our pipeline of diabetes and oncology products," said Hakan Edstrom. "We are extremely pleased to have him on the team."
About MannKind Corporation
MannKind Corporation focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic products for diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Its lead product, the Technosphere(R) Insulin System, is currently in phase 3 clinical trials in the United States, Europe and Latin America to study its safety and efficacy in the treatment of diabetes. For more information on MannKind Corporation and its technology, visit http://www.mannkindcorp.com/.
