Full Press Release Details
AzurRx BioPharma Appoints President and CEO James Sapirstein as New
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Former Chairman Edward J. Borkowski to continue as the lead
independent director on the board
BEACH, FL., February 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AzurRx BioPharma,
Inc. (NASDAQ: AZRX), ( AzurRx or the
Company ), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company
specializing in the development of targeted, non-systemic therapies
for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, announced today the
appointment of James Sapirstein, President and CEO, as chairman of
the company's board of directors, effective immediately. Mr.
Sapirstein succeeds Mr. Edward J. Borkowski, who joined the AzurRx
board in May 2015 and has served as chairman since April 2016. Mr.
Borkowski will remain as lead independent director of the board of
is on the verge of several important inflection points, and I am
pleased to take on additional responsibilities at this exciting
stage in the company's evolution, said Mr. Sapirstein.
I look forward to working with Ed and the other Board
members to propel a business and clinical strategy that, I believe,
has the potential to transform AzurRx and generate substantial
value for the company and our shareholders. I look forward to
advancing the clinical programs for our lead investigational
candidate, MS1819, and our novel niclosamide therapies to rapidly
deliver safe and efficacious product candidates to patients who
Sapirstein added, On behalf of the Board, I want to express
my appreciation to Ed for his years of service to AzurRx. Under his
dedicated stewardship, AzurRx has advanced its mission to develop
world-class medicines that address serious disease-related GI
complications. I am grateful for all that Ed has contributed to
AzurRx and look forward to his ongoing input as a member of the
Board and our lead independent director.
served on AzurRx's Board since 2015, I am committed to
ensuring a prosperous future for the company, stated Mr.
Borkowski. Under James' leadership, AzurRx has
strategically expanded its existing pipeline to pursue new
opportunities in the treatment of gastrointestinal conditions. The
recent licensing agreement with First Wave Bio represents an
exciting new chapter in the company's growth with the
potential to generate both near-term and long-range returns for
AzurRx shareholders. James has been instrumental in implementing
this strategy, and he is ideally suited to lead the company as both
Chairman and CEO as we seek to maximize the full potential of
AzurRx's pipeline and advance our clinical development
About James Sapirstein
Sapirstein was named President and Chief Executive Officer of
AzurRx Therapeutics in October 2019 Mr. Sapirstein arrived at
AzurRx from ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (now known as Hepion
Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), where he served as chief executive officer
and board member. His career in the pharmaceutical industry has
spanned nearly 37 years with extensive expertise in drug
development and commercialization. Mr. Sapirstein has participated
in 23 product launches, including six global launches that he led,
and headed numerous business development transactions. Prior to
ContraVir, Mr. Sapirstein served as CEO of Alliqua Therapeutics, as
the founding CEO of Tobira Therapeutics, and as Executive Vice
President, Metabolic and Endocrinology for Serono Laboratories. Mr.
Sapirstein has also held senior level positions at Gilead, Bristol
Myers Squibb and Hoffmann-LaRoche. Mr. Sapirstein currently sits on
the boards of Marizyme, Leading Biosciences and Enochian
Biosciences. He also sits on the board on the Biotechnology
Innovation Organization's (BIO) Emerging Companies Board and
serves as Chairman Emeritus of BioNJ. Mr. Sapirstein earned a B.S.
in Pharmacy from Rutgers University and received an MBA in
Management from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
About AzurRx BioPharma, Inc.
BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ: AZRX) is a clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development
of targeted, non-systemic therapies for gastrointestinal (GI)
diseases. The Company has a pipeline of three gut-restricted GI
assets. The lead therapeutic candidate is MS1819, a
recombinant lipase for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic
insufficiency (EPI) in patients with cystic fibrosis and chronic
pancreatitis, currently in two Phase 2 clinical trials.
AzurRx is launching two clinical programs using proprietary
formulations of niclosamide, a pro-inflammatory pathway
inhibitor, FW-420, for grade 1 Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor
Colitis and diarrhea in oncology patients and FW-1022, for
COVID-19 gastrointestinal infections. The Company is headquartered
in Delray Beach, Florida with clinical operations in Hayward,
California. For more information, visit www.azurrx.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release may contain certain statements relating to
future results which are forward-looking statements. It is possible
that the Company's actual results and financial condition may
differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and
financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements,
depending on factors including whether results obtained in
preclinical and nonclinical studies and clinical trials will be
indicative of results obtained in future clinical trials; whether
preliminary or interim results from a clinical trial will be
indicative of the final results of the trial; and the impact of the
coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the Company's operations
and current and planned clinical trials, including potential delays
in clinical trial recruitment and participation. Additional
information concerning the Company and its business, including a
discussion of factors that could materially affect the
Company's financial results are contained in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2019 under the heading Risk
Factors, as well as the Company's subsequent