SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.,
March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Rigel
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced that
it has appointed Jane Wasman to its
board of directors. Ms. Wasman is a strategic leader with over 20
years of experience in the biopharma industry working with both
large, multinational corporations and privately held start-ups. Her
expertise includes strategic development, corporate governance,
litigation, commercialization, compliance and government affairs,
as well as operational implementation.
"We are excited to have Jane join the Rigel board of directors.
The wealth of strategic, operational and legal knowledge she brings
to the company will be invaluable as we continue to expand our
potential market opportunity," said Raul
Rodriguez, president and CEO of Rigel. "Based on her
experience and proven success, we believe Jane will make
significant contributions to the future of Rigel."
Currently, Ms. Wasman serves as President, International and
General Counsel at Acorda Therapeutics where she is responsible for
global strategic development, leading long-range planning and
development in addition to international expansion, and the legal
and compliance functions. In her role, she collaborates with senior
leadership on commercialization, licensing, product pipeline
development, and government affairs activities. Prior to joining
Acorda, Ms. Wasman held various leadership positions at
Schering-Plough Corporation, including Staff Vice President and
Associate General Counsel. Previously, she was an attorney at two
global law firms and Associate Counsel for the U.S. Senate
Veterans' Affairs Committee. Ms. Wasman is Chair of the Board of
Sellas Life Sciences, an oncology-focused biotech company, and also
serves on the board of the non-profit NewYorkBIO. Ms. Wasman
graduated magna cum laude from Princeton
University, and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
"Joining Rigel following its successful transformation into a
commercial company with a strong research engine is an exciting
opportunity," Ms. Wasman stated. "I look forward to working with
the team as we continue to execute Rigel's global growth strategy
and expand the clinical pipeline."
In addition, Rigel announced that Peter
S. Ringrose, Ph.D., will retire from its board of directors,
effective in May, after more than 14 years of contributions to the
company's success.
Mr. Rodriguez commented, "Peter has been a tremendous asset to
Rigel for well over a decade. His expertise was an integral
component of our growth as we have matured from a research company
into a commercial entity with a rich clinical development pipeline.
On behalf of Rigel and our shareholders, I would like to thank
Peter for all of his contributions to Rigel and wish him enjoyment
of his future endeavors."
About Rigel (www.rigel.com)
Rigel Pharmaceuticals,
Inc., is a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering,
developing and providing novel small molecule drugs that
significantly improve the lives of patients with immune and
hematologic disorders, cancer and rare diseases. Rigel's pioneering
research focuses on signaling pathways that are critical to disease
mechanisms. The company's first FDA approved product is
TAVALISSE® (fostamatinib disodium
hexahydrate), the only oral spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) inhibitor
for the treatment of adult patients with chronic immune
thrombocytopenia who have had an insufficient response to a
previous treatment. Rigel's clinical programs include an upcoming
Phase 3 study of fostamatinib in autoimmune hemolytic anemia and an
ongoing Phase 1 study of R835, a proprietary molecule from its
interleukin receptor associated kinase (IRAK) program. In addition,
Rigel has product candidates in clinical development with partners
BerGenBio ASA, Daiichi Sankyo, Aclaris Therapeutics and
AstraZeneca.
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains
forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, Rigel's
partnerships across its pipeline and Rigel's ability to expand
its potential market opportunity. Any statements contained in
this press release that are not statements of historical fact may
be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as
"planned," "will," "may," "expect," "anticipate," and similar
expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Rigel's
current expectations and inherently involve significant risks and
uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ
materially from those anticipated in such forward looking
statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, which
include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated
with the commercialization and marketing of TAVALISSE; risks that
the FDA, EMA or other regulatory authorities may make adverse
decisions regarding fostamatinib; risks that TAVALISSE clinical
trials may not be predictive of real-world results or of results in
subsequent clinical trials; risks that TAVALISSE may have
unintended side effects, adverse reactions or incidents of misuses;
the availability of resources to develop Rigel's product
candidates; market competition; as well as other risks detailed
from time to time in Rigel's reports filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 2018.
Rigel does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking
statements and expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to
release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking
statements contained herein.
Contact: David Burke
Phone: 650.624.1232
Email: dburke@rigel.com
Media Contact: Jessica Daitch
Phone: 917.816.6712
Email: jessica.daitch@syneoshealth.com
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SOURCE Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.