Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the appointment of John H. (Jack) Lawrence, M.D., as senior vice president and chief medical officer, effective immediately. Dr. Lawrence will report to William Lis, chief executive officer, and will be responsible for leading all product development, as well as clinical strategies. He will also serve on the company’s Executive Committee. Dr. Lawrence joins Portola from Bristol-Myers Squibb. He was vice president and cardiovascular therapeutic area head of apixaban. He also provided strategic input into the discovery and early development efforts for BMS’ cardiovascular programs, including phase 2 trials in heart failure and stroke prevention.