Ritter Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held pharmaceutical company
developing novel therapeutic products that modulate the human gut
microbiome to treat gastrointestinal diseases, today announced that
Gerald T. Proehl has joined the Company’s Board of Directors. With his
appointment, the Ritter Pharma Board now has seven Directors. Mr. Proehl
will chair the Company’s nominating and corporate governance committee.
“Gerry is a highly regarded pharmaceutical executive and his significant
experience in gastroenterology, including building companies and
developing products, is ideal for Ritter Pharma,” said Ira Ritter,
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ritter Pharmaceuticals. “We expect
to benefit from his leadership acumen, strategic insight and drug
development expertise to support the development of RP-G28 for the
treatment of lactose intolerance, as well as our expansion into
additional indications. Gerry also brings a wealth of corporate
governance experience through his membership on multiple public and
private company Boards.”
Mr. Proehl served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of
Santarus, Inc. from 2002 through the company’s acquisition in January
2014 by Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLXP) for $2.6 billion. He
was President and Chief Operating Officer of Santarus from 2000 through
2001 and was Vice President, Marketing and Business Development from
1999 to 2000. During his tenure at Santarus, Mr. Proehl oversaw the
development and commercialization of gastrointestinal products Zegerid®
and UCERIS®. Prior to Santarus, Mr. Proehl served in various capacities,
including Vice President of Global Marketing, at the global
pharmaceutical company Hoechst Marion Roussel, Inc. Over his 14 years
there, he worked across numerous therapeutic areas including
gastrointestinal, central nervous system and cardiovascular.
Mr. Proehl serves as a director of Auspex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:
ASPX), Sophiris Bio Inc. (NASDAQ: SPHS) and Tenax Therapeutics, Inc.
(NASDAQ: TENX), as well as privately held Kinetik Sports, Patara Pharma,
Inc., MDRejuvena, Inc. and Dermata Therapeutics, LLC. Mr. Proehl holds a
BS in education from the State University of New York at Cortland, an MA
in exercise physiology from Wake Forest University and an MBA from
Rockhurst College.
About Ritter Pharmaceuticals
Ritter Pharmaceuticals, Inc. develops novel therapeutic products that
modulate the human gut microbiome to treat gastrointestinal diseases.
Ritter Pharma is advancing human gut health research by exploring the
metabolic capacity of gut microbiota and translating the functionality
of these microbiome modulators into safe and effective applications.
Ritter Pharma’s lead drug candidate, RP-G28, has the potential to become
the first FDA-approved drug for lactose intolerance, a condition that
affects more than one billion people worldwide.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements, which express the
current beliefs and expectations of Ritter Pharmaceuticals’ management.
Such statements involve a number of known and unknown risks and
uncertainties that could cause the company’s future results, performance
or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Any statements contained herein that do not describe historical facts,
including but not limited to, statements regarding Mr. Proehl’s expected
contributions to Ritter Pharma’s Board of Directors are forward-looking
statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those discussed in such
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made
only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to
update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of
new information, future events or otherwise.
Copyright Business Wire 2015