Samuel R. Saks

Sam has more than 25 years of experience developing specialty pharmaceutical products. From 2003 to 2009, Dr. Saks served as CEO of Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company he co-founded. Prior to joining Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Saks held a number of positions at Alza Corporation, which was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 2001. From 2001 to 2003, he was Company Group Chairman of Alza and served as a member of Johnson & Johnson's Pharmaceutical Group Operating Committee. From 1992 to 2001, he held various executive positions at Alza, including Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs and Group Vice President, where he was responsible for clinical and commercial activities. He has also held clinical research positions in oncology at Schering-Plough Corporation, XOMA Corporation and Genentech, Inc. From 1987 to 2000, Dr. Saks was Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine in the oncology division of the Department of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. From April 2011 until February 2012, Dr. Saks served as interim Chief Medical Officer of Threshold Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Saks also serves as a director of a number of pharmaceutical companies, including TONIX Pharmaceuticals and Auspex Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Saks received a B.S. and an M.D. from the University of Illinois.