NOVATO, Calif., March 14, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE) announced that Eric Crombez, M.D., has been promoted to chief medical officer and executive vice president effective May 1, 2023, succeeding Camille Bedrosian, M.D., who will remain with the company in a full-time strategic advisory role. Dr. Crombez currently serves as Ultragenyx’s chief medical officer for gene therapy and inborn errors of metabolism.

“Eric has extensive expertise in the development and execution of clinical development programs for rare genetic disorders and has been a driving force for our entire gene therapy pipeline,” said Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer and president of Ultragenyx. “He has worked closely with Camille in preparation for this transition.”

“Camille has been instrumental in helping us grow and evolve our pipeline, advancing our important treatments to where they are today,” continued Dr. Kakkis. “I'm grateful for all she has done as CMO and for the rare disease community and pleased that we will retain her expertise and passion in her new advisory role.”

"I am honored by the opportunity to step into this role and grateful to Camille for her mentoring and ongoing partnership as the entire organization focuses on the execution of our pipeline, which will allow us to continue to bring forward new treatments for patients with rare diseases,” said Dr. Crombez.

Dr. Crombez joined Ultragenyx following the acquisition of Dimension Therapeutics in November 2017. He is also an appointed industry representative on the FDA Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee. At Dimension Therapeutics, Dr. Crombez served as chief medical officer and led the clinical development efforts for clinical gene therapy programs in hemophilia B, hemophilia A, ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency and glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSDIa). Previously, he worked at Shire in its Human Genetics Therapy business unit.

Before joining industry, Dr. Crombez was assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Medical Genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is a board-certified clinical geneticist and completed residencies in pediatrics and medical genetics and a fellowship in clinical biochemical genetics at the UCLA School of Medicine. Dr. Crombez obtained his B.S. degree in biology from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and his M.D. degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit.

About Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.

Ultragenyx is a biopharmaceutical company committed to bringing novel therapies to patients for the treatment of serious rare and ultrarare genetic diseases. The company has built a diverse portfolio of approved medicines and treatment candidates aimed at addressing diseases with high unmet medical need and clear biology, for which there are typically no approved therapies treating the underlying disease.

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.

Ultragenyx Forward-Looking Statements and Use of Digital Media

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements related to Ultragenyx's expectations and projections regarding its operations are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Ultragenyx undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Ultragenyx in general, see Ultragenyx's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 17, 2023, and its subsequent periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In addition to its SEC filings, press releases and public conference calls, Ultragenyx uses its investor relations website and social media outlets to publish important information about the company, including information that may be deemed material to investors, and to comply with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Financial and other information about Ultragenyx is routinely posted and is accessible on Ultragenyx’s investor relations website (https://ir.ultragenyx.com/) and LinkedIn website (https://www.linkedin.com/company/ultragenyx-pharmaceutical-inc-/mycompany/).

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