Ironwood
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: IRWD) announced today the appointment
of Douglas Williams, Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Williams
currently serves as executive vice president, research and development
for Biogen Idec Inc. and was previously chief executive officer of
ZymoGenetics, Inc.
“Ironwood is passionate about attracting board members who have business
savvy, a strong interest in our company, absolute integrity, great
strategic judgment and an owner-oriented mindset. We believe Doug
possesses each of these critical characteristics and will be an
excellent representative for Ironwood’s shareholders,” said Peter Hecht,
chief executive officer of Ironwood. “Doug also has valuable perspective
derived from his breadth of experience: he is a great drug hunter, as
evidenced by his role in the discovery and development of blockbuster
rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel, and he is also a terrific strategic
thinker, as his successful leadership of ZymoGenetics and recent
revitalization of Biogen’s research initiatives have demonstrated.”
“The Ironwood team has brought a pioneering product with a new mechanism
of action to the gastrointestinal market, and they are developing a rich
pipeline built on their commitment to innovation,” said Dr. Williams. “I
look forward to collaborating with the team as they explore ways to
maximize the appropriate utility of their approved product, advance
their focused research and work to bring important new therapeutic
options to patients for many years to come.”
Dr. Williams has served as executive vice president, research and
development at Biogen Idec since January 2011. Previously, he held
several senior executive positions, including chief executive officer
and chief scientific officer, at ZymoGenetics, where he also served as a
director. While at ZymoGenetics, he oversaw development of peginterferon
lambda-1a, now in Phase III, and several other oncology and immunology
programs. Before joining ZymoGenetics, Dr. Williams served as chief
scientific officer and executive vice president of research and
development at Seattle Genetics Inc., where he oversaw the development
of cancer drug Adcetris® (brentuximab vedotin). Before that
he held a series of scientific and senior leadership positions over a
decade at Immunex Corp., where he led development of blockbuster
rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel® (etanercept). Dr. Williams’
tenure at Immunex culminated with his position as executive vice
president and chief technology officer, and he went on to serve as a
senior vice president at Amgen Inc. following its acquisition of
Immunex. Before joining industry, Dr. Williams served on the faculty of
the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Department of
Laboratory Medicine at the Roswell Park Memorial Institute in Buffalo,
New York. He serves on the board of directors of Regulus Therapeutics
Inc., and previously served on the board of directors of Oncothyreon
Inc. and Array BioPharma Inc. Dr. Williams received his B.S. in
Biological Sciences from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and
Ph.D. in Physiology from the State University of New York at Buffalo,
Roswell Park Memorial Institute Division.
About Ironwood Pharmaceuticals
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IRWD) is focused on creating medicines
that make a difference for patients, building value to earn the
continued support of our fellow shareholders, and empowering our team to
passionately pursue excellence. We discovered, developed and are
commercializing linaclotide, which is approved in the United States and
a number of other countries. Our pipeline priorities include exploring
further opportunities for linaclotide, as well as leveraging our
therapeutic expertise in gastrointestinal disorders and our
pharmacologic expertise in guanylate cyclases to address patient needs
across the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. Ironwood was founded
in 1998 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass. Connect with us at www.ironwoodpharma.com
or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ironwoodpharma;
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