Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the appointment of Paul Firuta to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer effective immediately. Mr. Firuta, with 27 years of experience successfully building commercial organizations and launching products targeting rare diseases, will assume responsibility for leading Achillion's commercial strategy and operations, market access, pharmaceutical sciences & manufacturing, project management and patient advocacy. Mr. Firuta joins Achillion from uniQure N.V. where he held the position of Chief Commercial Officer. Prior to uniQure, he was President of U.S. Commercial Operations at NPS Pharmaceuticals where he led the development and execution of the GATTEX sales and marketing plan as well as the commercial launch of NAPTARA. Over the course of his career, Mr. Firuta has held various leadership roles at biopharmaceutical companies including: Vice President and General Manager, Americas at ViroPharma, Inc.