CAMBRIDGE, Mass., September 14, 2009 - Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that Thomas McCourt has joined the Company as chief commercial officer and senior vice president of marketing and sales. Mr. McCourt will be responsible for overall commercial strategy and execution and will lead Ironwood's growing marketing and sales team.
Mr. McCourt comes to Ironwood from Amgen, where he led the U.S. brand team for denosumab, a novel biologic under review at the FDA for the treatment of bone diseases and Amgen's first potential primary care product. Previously, he was with Novartis, where he directed the launch and growth of Zelnorm® for the treatment of patients with IBS-C and chronic constipation and held a number of senior commercial roles, including vice president of strategic marketing and operations. Mr. McCourt was also part of the founding team at Astra Merck, leading the development of the medical affairs and science liaison group and then serving as brand manager for Prilosec®, the blockbuster therapy for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Mr. McCourt has a degree in pharmacy from the University of Wisconsin.
"We are very pleased that Tom has joined our team," said Peter Hecht, CEO of Ironwood. "Tom's unique knowledge of gastrointestinal product marketing and his multiple experiences bringing breakthrough medicines to the market will be invaluable as we and our partners prepare to bring linaclotide to IBS-C and chronic constipation patients around the world."
"It's wonderful to be at Ironwood. I am impressed with the quality of the people and the high level of science," said Mr. McCourt. "I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to help bring innovative products and therapeutic solutions to patients in need."
About Ironwood Pharmaceuticals
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (www.ironwoodpharma.com) is an entrepreneurial pharmaceutical company dedicated to the art and science of great drugmaking. Linaclotide, the Company's first-in-class compound, is being evaluated in a confirmatory Phase 3 program for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and chronic constipation. Ironwood also has a growing pipeline of additional drug candidates in earlier stages of development. Ironwood has raised $306 million in private equity financing and is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Contact:
Susan Brady
Corporate Communications
617.621.8304
sbrady@ironwoodpharma.com