Ardelyx Appoints Robert Bazemore to Its Board of Directors

"Rob's experience and record of success at Epizyme, Synageva, Johnson & Johnson and Merck position him as an invaluable addition for Ardelyx, and we are excited that he will be joining our Board," said Mike Raab, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ardelyx.  "His operational experience and proficiency in commercial portfolio strategy provide another level of depth to our organization as we continue to advance our lead product candidates toward commercialization."

"This is a very exciting time to join the Ardelyx Board," Mr. Bazemore commented. "Since regaining the worldwide rights to tenapanor from AstraZeneca in 2015, Ardelyx has made significant advancements with its product candidate in both the IBS-C and hyperphosphatemia indications. The organization is committed to expanding its footprint as a leader in treating gastrointestinal and cardio-renal diseases through the development of RDX227675 as well as multiple research programs. I look forward to working with the Company's top quality management team as Ardelyx progresses toward becoming a commercial organization."

Mr. Bazemore has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Epizyme, Inc., since September 2015.  Prior to joining Epizyme, Mr. Bazemore served as Chief Operating Officer of Synageva BioPharma Corp., which was acquired by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for $8.4 billion in July 2015.  Prior to that, Mr. Bazemore was President of Janssen Biotech, part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson.  Mr. Bazemore received his B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Georgia.

About Ardelyx, Inc.

Ardelyx is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative, minimally-systemic, small molecule therapeutics that work exclusively in the gastrointestinal tract to treat gastrointestinal and cardio-renal diseases. Ardelyx has developed a proprietary drug discovery and design platform enabling it, in a rapid and cost-efficient manner, to discover and design novel drug candidates. Utilizing this platform, Ardelyx has discovered and designed tenapanor, which it is evaluating for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, or IBS-C, and management of hyperphosphatemia in patients with end-stage renal disease. In addition to tenapanor, Ardelyx is developing RDX227675, a non-absorbed polymer for the treatment of hyperkalemia, or high potassium, in kidney and heart disease patients. Ardelyx is also advancing several research programs focused in gastrointestinal and cardio-renal diseases. Ardelyx is located in Fremont, California. For more information, please visit Ardelyx's website at www.ardelyx.com.

Forward Looking Statements

To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Ardelyx, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995, including the potential for tenapanor in treating IBS-C patients and in treating hyperphosphatemia in end-stage renal disease patients, the potential for RDX227675 in treating hyperkalemia in kidney and heart disease patients, and the potential of Ardelyx's drug discovery and design platform. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause the development of tenapanor, RDX227675, or Ardelyx's 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 research and the clinical development process and the uncertainties in the manufacture of clinical trial material, including process development, scale up and tech transfer of manufacturing processes. Ardelyx 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 Ardelyx's business in general, please refer to Ardelyx's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 9, 2016, and its future current and periodic reports to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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