Cocrystal Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: COCP) appointed James Sapirstein as chief executive officer, effective immediately, according to a company statement. The biotechnology company also plans to add Sapirstein to its board of directors.

Sapirstein replaces Sam Lee and Jim Martin, who previously served as co-chief executive officers. Lee will continue as president and transition to chief scientific officer, while Martin will remain as chief financial officer.

The new CEO brings experience from leadership roles at several pharmaceutical companies. He previously served as chief executive officer of Contravir Pharmaceuticals and founding chief executive officer of Tobira Therapeutics. Sapirstein also held the position of executive vice president of metabolic and endocrinology at Serono Laboratories.

Earlier in his career, Sapirstein worked in senior marketing and commercialization roles at Gilead Sciences and served as director of international marketing for the infectious disease division at Bristol Myers Squibb. The company stated he has participated in or led 23 product launches and driven numerous business development transactions.

Roger Kornberg, chairman of Cocrystal Pharma, said in a statement that Sapirstein brings relevant experience as the company advances multiple clinical programs. Sapirstein commented that the company's antiviral pipeline positions it to address patient needs and create shareholder value.

Cocrystal Pharma is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing antiviral treatments targeting noroviruses, influenza viruses, coronaviruses, and hepatitis C viruses. The company uses structure-based drug discovery technology to develop its therapeutic candidates.

Sapirstein currently serves on several industry boards and previously chaired BioNJ. He was also a board member of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization for more than a decade and is a founding member of the board of advisors of the Miami Biotech Collective.