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Relypsa Names Scott Garland Senior
Vice President and Chief Commercial OfficerREDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Relypsa, Inc. (Nasdaq:RLYP), today announced that Scott Garland has joined the company as senior vice president and chief commercial officer. Garland, a seasoned executive with over 20 years of biotechnology and pharmaceutical experience, has extensive expertise in launching products and building commercial infrastructure to support specialty drugs, including within the nephrology community. He joins Relypsa on the heels of the company's October submission of the New Drug Application (NDA) for its lead compound, Patiromer for Oral Suspension, or Patiromer FOS, for the treatment of hyperkalemia, a serious condition defined as abnormally elevated levels of potassium in the blood, which is prevalent in patients who suffer from chronic kidney disease, hypertension, diabetes and/or heart failure. "With our NDA submitted to the FDA, we are extremely pleased to have Scott join us as chief commercial officer as we prepare for the potential approval of Patiromer FOS," said John A. Orwin, president and chief executive officer. "Scott has a proven track record of commercial success, and has a distinguished career of introducing drugs and developing markets. We are excited to welcome him to the Relypsa executive team and look forward to his leadership in building a world class commercial organization to support Patiromer FOS." Prior to joining Relypsa, Mr. Garland was executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Exelixis, Inc., where he led global commercial operations and was responsible for building and leading sales, marketing, market access and commercial operations. During his tenure, Garland led the global commercial launch of COMETRIQ (cabozantinib) for medullary thyroid cancer, establishing the company's commercial presence in the U.S. and Europe. Before Exelixis, Mr. Garland had a nine year tenure at Genentech, most recently as vice president, Avastin Franchise, where he led a team of over 300 people and revenue of $3 billion. While at Genentech, he also held other senior level positions overseeing sales and marketing for a number of products at the biotech company. Earlier in his career, Mr. Garland held various sales and marketing positions at Amgen, including overseeing market development for the launch of Aranesp for chronic kidney disease patients. Mr. Garland holds a M.B.A. from Fuqua School of Business, Duke University and a B.S. in Biological Sciences from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. About Relypsa, Inc. Relypsa, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of non-absorbed polymeric drugs to treat disorders in the areas of renal, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The company has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market Patiromer FOS for the treatment of hyperkalemia, a serious condition defined as abnormally elevated levels of potassium in the blood. Relypsa has global royalty-free commercialization rights to Patiromer FOS, which has intellectual property protection in the U.S. until at least 2030. More information is available at www.relypsa.com. Forward Looking Statements To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Relypsa, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the potential approval of Patiromer FOS and the experience, expertise and expected impact of Scott Garland. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our clinical development program, future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainties inherent in the clinical drug development process, including the regulatory approval process, the timing of the company's regulatory filings, the company's substantial dependence on Patiromer FOS, the company's commercialization plans and efforts and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of Patiromer FOS. Relypsa undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of the company in general, see Relypsa's current and future reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2014. Contact Sylvia Wheeler V.P. Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs 650-421-9504 IR @relypsa.com |