- Dr. Wright Enhances Ironwood's Medical and Drug Development
Expertise as the Company Advances an Expanding Mid- to Late-Stage
Pipeline -
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Ironwood
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRWD), a commercial biotechnology
company, today announced the appointment of Christopher Wright, M.D.,
MMSc., Ph.D., as senior vice president of global development and chief
development officer. Dr. Wright is a practicing neurologist and has
nearly two decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and
academia, including several years leading global development across all
therapeutic areas at Vertex Pharmaceuticals. He will lead Ironwood's
regulatory, clinical and medical affairs functions and will focus on
driving the development of later-stage pipeline candidates, reporting to
Mark Currie, Ph.D., chief scientific officer and president of research
and development.
"Ironwood's mid- to late-stage pipeline is advancing, with a string of
recent successes, and we expect multiple near-term, value-creating
catalysts from our clinical development programs. In addition, we are
commercializing two products in the U.S., with a new drug application
for a third product currently under FDA review," said Dr. Currie. "At
this exciting and transformational time for Ironwood, Chris's
collaborative leadership style, dedication to patients and track record
of translating science into important therapies for patients will help
Ironwood scale our capabilities and enhance the speed, quality,
functional integration and innovative means by which we advance our
medicines to patients."
"Ironwood has built an impressive R&D team with a proven ability to
innovate and address patients' unmet needs," said Dr. Wright. "With
multiple medicines on the market and a rich pipeline advancing through
later-stage development, this is an exciting time to join the company,
and I look forward to adding my perspective as a physician and scientist
to the important work this incredibly talented group of professionals is
undertaking."
Prior to joining Ironwood, Dr. Wright served as senior vice president
and chief medical officer for Axcella Health, Inc. Before that, he
worked at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. as senior vice president and head
of global medicine development and affairs, where he led global
development functions across all therapeutic areas of clinical
development, medical affairs, clinical operations, medical writing,
biometrics, regulatory affairs and patient safety. In this role, he
directly oversaw the successful submission of medications for approval
to the FDA, EMA and other drug approval entities. Also at Vertex, Dr.
Wright served as vice president of clinical development, where he
oversaw clinical programs in the areas of hepatitis C, cystic fibrosis,
rheumatoid arthritis, influenza, epilepsy and pain. Dr. Wright is a
practicing neurologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Previously, Dr.
Wright was an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School
and a Harvard-MIT Clinical Investigator Training Program graduate and
advisor. He earned a B.S. in biochemical sciences from Harvard
University, an M.D. and MMSc. from Harvard Medical School and a Ph.D.
from Vrije University in the Netherlands.
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
commercializing two innovative primary care products: linaclotide, the
U.S. branded prescription market leader for adults with irritable bowel
syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) or chronic idiopathic constipation
(CIC), and lesinurad, which is approved to be taken with a xanthine
oxidase inhibitor (XOI) for the treatment of hyperuricemia associated
with uncontrolled gout. We are also advancing a pipeline of internally
and externally generated innovative product candidates in areas of
significant unmet need, including uncontrolled gastroesophageal reflux
disease and vascular and fibrotic diseases. 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.
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Investors are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements, including statements about Ironwood's leadership and the
expected benefits from Dr. Wright's appointment as Senior Vice President
of Global Development and Chief Development Officer; our ability to
scale capabilities and enhance how we advance our medicines to patients;
and the development, launch, introduction and commercial potential of
our products, product candidates, and the other products that we promote
and the drivers, timing, impact and results thereof (including near-term
value-creating catalysts). Each forward-looking statement is subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those expressed or implied in such statement. Applicable
risks and uncertainties include those related to the effectiveness of
development and commercialization efforts by us and our partners;
preclinical and clinical development, manufacturing and formulation
development; our reliance on AstraZeneca to provide critical support
services related to lesinurad; the risk that findings from our completed
nonclinical and clinical studies may not be replicated in later studies;
efficacy, safety and tolerability of linaclotide, lesinurad and our
product candidates; decisions by regulatory authorities; the risk that
we are unable to successfully integrate lesinurad into our existing
business, commercialize lesinurad or realize the anticipated benefits of
the lesinurad transaction; the risk that we may never get sufficient
patent protection for linaclotide and our product candidates or that we
are not able to successfully protect such patents; the outcomes in legal
proceedings to protect or enforce the patents relating to our products
and product candidates, including ANDA litigation; developments in the
intellectual property landscape; challenges from and rights of
competitors or potential competitors; the risk that our planned
investments do not have the anticipated effect on our company revenues,
linaclotide, lesinurad or our product candidates; the risk that we are
unable to manage our operating expenses or cash use for operations, or
are unable to commercialize our products, within the guided ranges or
otherwise as expected; and the risks listed under the heading "Risk
Factors" and elsewhere in Ironwood's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2016, and in our subsequent SEC filings. These
forward-looking statements (except as otherwise noted) speak only as of
the date of this press release, and Ironwood undertakes no obligation to
update these forward-looking statements.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170406005135/en/
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Media Relations
Trista
Morrison, 617-374-5095
Director, Corporate Communications
tmorrison@ironwoodpharma.com
or
Investor
Relations
Meredith Kaya, 617-374-5082
Director, Investor
Relations
mkaya@ironwoodpharma.com
Source: Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
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