CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ironwood
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRWD) announced today the appointment
of Andrew Dreyfus, president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Massachusetts, to its board of directors. Blue Cross Blue
Shield of Massachusetts is the leading private health plan in
Massachusetts and one of the largest Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in the
nation.
Ironwood also announced that current board members, Bryan E. Roberts,
Ph.D. and George H. Conrades, will transition off of Ironwood's board of
directors effective as of Ironwood's 2016 annual meeting of stockholders.
"Ironwood seeks board members with great strategic judgment, an
owner-oriented mindset, business savvy, a strong interest in our
company, and absolute integrity. In addition to all of these attributes,
Andrew's experience leading a major healthcare business, and his unique
perspective on key aspects of the healthcare equation, including value
and patient access, make him an outstanding representative of our
shareholders and advisor to our company," said Peter Hecht, chief
executive officer of Ironwood.
Hecht continued, "As we welcome Andrew to the board, we would also like
to offer our deepest gratitude to George and Bryan for their many years
of dedicated service to our shareholders. George and Bryan were among
the earliest participants and investors in Ironwood, and their expertise
in building companies has shaped every aspect of our growth strategy as
we advanced from a seed idea to the commercial biotechnology company we
are today."
"I have great respect for the Ironwood team's expertise and integrity,
and proven ability to innovate to address the unmet needs of patients.
They brought to market an innovative gastrointestinal treatment, and
they are advancing a pipeline of potential medicines designed to improve
the quality of patient care," said Dreyfus. "I look forward to joining
Ironwood's highly-committed board at this exciting time and contributing
to the company's continued success."
Dreyfus has been president and chief executive officer of Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Massachusetts since 2010. Considered one of the leading
innovators in the insurance industry, Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Massachusetts has nearly three million members, approximately $7 billion
in annual revenues and 3,600 employees. Prior to his current role,
Dreyfus served as executive vice president of health care services at
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts from 2005 to 2010. Previously,
he served as the first president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Massachusetts Foundation, as executive vice president of the
Massachusetts Hospital Association, and he held senior positions in
Massachusetts state government, including undersecretary of consumer
affairs and business regulation. Dreyfus serves on the boards of Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association,
the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley, the National
Institute for Health Care Management, Jobs for Massachusetts, and the
advisory boards of the Boston University School of Public Health and
Ariadne Labs. Dreyfus is a graduate of Connecticut College.
About Ironwood Pharmaceuticals
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IRWD) is a commercial biotechnology
company focused on creating medicines that make a difference for
patients, building value for our fellow shareholders, and empowering our
passionate team. We are advancing an innovative pipeline of medicines in
multiple areas of significant unmet need, including irritable bowel
syndrome with constipation (IBS-C)/chronic idiopathic constipation
(CIC), vascular and fibrotic diseases, and refractory gastroesophageal
reflux disease, among others. We discovered, developed and are
commercializing linaclotide, the U.S. branded prescription market leader
in the IBS-C/CIC category, and we are applying our proven R&D and
commercial capabilities to advance multiple internally-developed and
externally-accessed product opportunities. Ironwood was founded in 1998
and is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please
visit www.ironwoodpharma.com
or www.twitter.com/ironwoodpharma;
information that may be important to investors will be routinely posted
in both these locations.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160407005149/en/
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Media Relations
Trista
Morrison, 617-374-5095
Director, Corporate Communications
[email protected]
or
Investor
Relations
Mary T. Conway, 617-768-2628
Investor Relations
[email protected]
Source: Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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