About Us.
Our Mission: Address Unmet Patient Needs.
Our Story.
The team that founded Handa in 2014 came together with a clear focus and dedication to pharmaceutical formulation research and dosage-form design. Their shared goal was to successfully compete where the science is hardest: 505(b)(2) category drugs and high-barrier generics that offer effective treatment and hope for hard-to-treat patients.
Today, Handa is an internationally integrated research-driven company with formulation science at its core. We expertly manage every stage of development through submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Handa’s leadership consistently builds strong and effective teams, high-quality product portfolios, and successful pharmaceutical businesses. From our headquarters in San Jose, California, and our center for global operations and R&D at Tainan Science Park in Taiwan, we have extended our reach and impact into the world’s two largest pharmaceutical markets—the United States and China.
Managing Every Step of the Product Journey.
Identifying opportunities for medical and market success
We target niche, high-barrier opportunities where our experience and success overcoming barriers in drug formulation is a durable competitive advantage.
Solving problems with proprietary engineering solutions
Where conventional approaches often fail, our ONCORE™ platform and formulation expertise dependably solve absorption, solubility, and pH challenges.
Managing risk to protect and grow
By integrating patent analysis with market and regulatory strategy, Handa shortens development timelines and reduces risks, effectively shielding products from direct competition and extending product life cycles.
Our Leadership.
Bill Liu, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Liu is an accomplished executive and scientist with a proven track record of building effective teams, technology-based product portfolios and successful pharmaceutical businesses.
Dr. Liu founded Handa Pharmaceuticals in November 2005. Prior to founding Handa, he served as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Product Development and Operations at Anchen Pharmaceuticals from September 2002 to August 2005. As its first employee, Dr. Liu helped to set up Anchen’s business operations including formulation development, analytical services, quality assurance, information technology, regulatory affairs and a cGMP facility. Under his direction, the team successfully developed a pipeline of Paragraph IV controlled-release generic products, two of which were first-to-file.
Prior to joining Anchen, Dr. Liu served in various management positions in product development and business development at Yamanouchi Pharma Technologies, where he developed and commercialized BenadrylR FastMelt Orally Disintegrating Tablets, among other proprietary products. From 1992 to 1997, Dr. Liu was employed by Impax Pharmaceuticals, Watson Pharmaceuticals, and Southern Research Institute, where he was credited with the development of several generic controlled-release products.
Dr. Liu received a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from China Pharmaceutical University in 1983 and a Ph.D. degree in Industrial and Physical Pharmacy from Purdue University in 1992.
Maggie Chang, Ph.D.
Executive Vice President – Quality Affairs
Dr. Chang has over 20 years of experience in quality assurance and quality control, Good Laboratory Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices compliance and oversight, analytical methods development, regulatory submissions, and management of clinical production and testing.
Prior to joining Handa, Dr. Chang served as Vice President of Quality Affairs at Anchen Pharmaceuticals. While at Anchen, she worked on numerous development projects which resulted in ANDA regulatory submissions, including the company’s first ANDA, which received FDA approval in November 2005.
From 1996 to 2002, Dr. Chang held various management positions in the R&D Analytical Department at Impax Laboratories. She possesses extensive experience in quality issues associated with laboratory and material management, including controlled substances. Dr. Chang received a B.S. degree in Pharmacy from National Taiwan University in 1989 and a Ph.D. degree in Industrial and Physical Pharmacy from Purdue University in 1996.
Li Qiao, Ph.D.
SVP Program Management & Regulatory Affairs & COO
Dr. Qiao has led the analytical services function for Handa Pharmaceuticals since 2010. She has over 16 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, with an emphasis on program management and analytical services, including method development, transfer, and validation for active ingredients, intermediates, excipients and finished dosage forms. Previously, Dr. Qiao worked in various roles of increasing responsibility at 3M Company’s Drug Delivery System Division and in the R&D Analytical Department at Impax.
Dr. Qiao received a Bachelor of Science degree from Nanjing Tech University (formerly Nanjing Institute of Chemical Engineering) in 1992, and a Ph.D. degree in Analytical Chemistry from The University of Alabama in 2001.
Michael He, Ph.D.
Vice President – Product Development
Dr. He has over 20 years of experience in product development, including formulation and process design/optimization, from laboratory to commercial scales. He’s led tech-transfer and scale-up efforts, as well as process validation and commercialization efforts for Handa since 2009, resulting in several successful ANDA submissions and partner product launches.
Dr. He previously served at UPM Pharmaceuticals as a member of the management team and the lead scientist, successfully managing key client portfolios, including formulating over 25 products ranging from Phase 1 to commercial launch. Prior to UPM, Dr. He worked in various product development roles of increasing responsibility at Bayer, Nutrilite and Yamanouchi.
Dr. He received a B.S. in Pharmacy from Fudan University (formerly Shanghai Medical University) in 1986. He later attended the University of Cincinnati, where he earned an M.S. degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1993 and a Ph.D. degree in Industrial Pharmacy in 1997.
George Kraft, M.D.
Vice President – Corporate Development
Dr. Kraft has over 25 years of experience in corporate development, strategic planning, company formation and corporate finance of healthcare growth companies. He was previously an entrepreneur and founded a Biotech start-up company focused on developing oncology therapeutics in neurology. He was also a partner in a private investment management company that invested growth capital into emerging healthcare and technology companies and special situations, whereby he assumed various operational roles in portfolio companies. Prior to that, he worked in corporate development of specialty pharmaceutical companies and management consulting.
Dr. Kraft holds a Medical Doctor Degree from the University of Tuebingen, Germany, and an MBA degree in Finance and Economics from Columbia Business School.
David Quiggle
Vice President – Regulatory Affairs
David Quiggle brings 30 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, which includes 25 years specializing in regulatory affairs. He has a proven track record securing FDA approvals for complex, high-barrier products, including first-to-file and first-to-market generics as well as 505(b)(2) applications.
Prior to joining Handa, David served as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Hikma Pharmaceuticals (following its acquisition of Custopharm) and Amerigen Pharmaceuticals. His earlier leadership role include Senior Director of Regulatory Affairs at Par Pharmaceuticals (following the acquisition of Anchen Pharmaceuticals), as well as regulatory positions at Watson Laboratories.
David began his career at the School of Medicine at Loma Linda University, Laboratory of Endocrinology—later spun off into Encore Pharmaceuticals—where he was involved in both preclinical and clinical drug development. He holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Biology from California State University.
Alex Huang
Director – Corporate Development
Alex Huang brings nearly 15 years of experience across the biopharmaceutical industry and management consulting. His expertise includes structuring strategic partnerships, leading market assessments, and guiding cross-functional commercialization initiatives from early planning through launch.
Prior to joining Handa, Alex worked in life sciences consulting, advising clients ranging from Fortune 500 pharma companies to emerging biotechs. Earlier in his career, he held roles of increasing responsibility in sales and product management at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He holds an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, an MS in Pharmacology from National Taiwan University, and a BS in Pharmacy from Taipei Medical University.
