Elcelyx Therapeutics Names Mark Wiggins Senior Vice President of Business Development, Ginger Graham to Board of Directors

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Elcelyx Therapeutics announced today that Mark Wiggins has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Business Development and Ginger Graham has been elected to the Board of Directors. Elcelyx is developing ultra-safe first-in-class approaches to weight management and obesity-related metabolic disorders.

"In two short years, Elcelyx has amassed proof of concept and efficacy data for two product candidates for weight loss, Type 2 diabetes and other obesity-related metabolic disorders. Mark joins us as we accelerate our late-stage programs to value-creating inflection points that will be attractive to strategic partners in the nutrition and pharmaceutical industries," said Alain Baron, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Elcelyx Therapeutics.  "Ginger has worked closely with several members of the Elcelyx team over the years, and her extensive expertise in both the consumer and pharmaceutical health sectors will be valuable as we execute our strategies to address the rising rates of obesity and metabolic disorders across the globe."

Wiggins was most recently Chief Business Officer at Mpex Pharmaceuticals, where he led commercial planning and business development for the company's inhaled antibiotics unit until the company was acquired by Axcan in 2011. Prior to joining Mpex, he served as Executive Vice President of Business Development and was a member of the Executive Committee of Biogen Idec. During his 11 years at Biogen Idec and its predecessor Idec Pharmaceuticals, Wiggins was involved in a wide variety of commercial and business development activities and was a member of the management committee for the collaboration with Genentech on blockbuster Rituxan®, which is used for treating a number of cancer and autoimmune indications. He and his team completed three acquisitions and more than 20 licensing/partnering transactions. Prior to his time with Biogen Idec, Wiggins held a number of senior positions in marketing and business development for Hybridon, Schering-Plough, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. He received his B.S. degree in finance from Syracuse University and an MBA from the University of Arizona.

Graham serves as an independent Director at Elcelyx and lends her extensive expertise in both the pharmaceutical and consumer health industries. Graham teaches entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School and consults to first-time CEOs in leadership, strategy, board effectiveness and organization-building. She is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Amylin Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on diabetes and obesity, where she helped with the launch of two first-in-class diabetes medicines. Previously, she was Group Chairman, Office of the President at Guidant Corporation, a leading cardiovascular medical device manufacturer. Graham serves on the Boards of Directors for Walgreen Co., Genomic Health, Proteus Digital Health, Surefire Medical and the American Diabetes Association Research Foundation. She is a member of the Harvard Business School Health Industry Alumni Advisory Board, The University of Arkansas Chancellor's Board of Advisors, the University of Colorado Biosciences Advisory Board and the Advisory Board for the Kellogg Center for Executive Women. Graham received a B.S. from the University of Arkansas and an MBA with distinction from Harvard University.

About Elcelyx Therapeutics

Elcelyx Therapeutics is developing ultra-safe products for weight management and obesity-related metabolic disorders based on the science of nutrient sensing. Elcelyx' first-in-class Gut Sensory Modulators are delivered directly to the gut where they intensify the body's natural food-driven signals that trigger a sense of fullness and facilitate glucose regulation. The Elcelyx product candidates, Lovidia™ and NewMet™, are backed by rigorous science and clinical data demonstrating their ability to rapidly reduce weight and improve glucose metabolism without systemic side effects, respectively. The products represent reduced-risk, near-term blockbuster opportunities in weight management and Type 2 diabetes with longer-term opportunities in obesity and prediabetes. Founded in 2010, Elcelyx' investors include Morgenthaler Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Technology Partners. The company is based in San Diego, CA. For more information, visit www.Elcelyx.com.

SOURCE Elcelyx Therapeutics