Healthcare Industry News: arrhythmia
News Release - September 26, 2013
Relypsa Adds Renal Industry Veteran John P. Butler to Board of Directors
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network)--Relypsa, Inc., a pharmaceutical company, today announced the addition of John P. Butler to its Board of Directors.Mr. Butler, a renal industry veteran, was CEO of Inspiration Biopharmaceuticals from 2011 through April 2013 and was named President and CEO of Akebia in August 2013. Prior to serving as CEO of Inspiration, Mr. Butler held several positions at Genzyme Corporation, including President of both Genzyme’s Cardiometabolic and Renal Division and orphan disease division. While at Genzyme, Mr. Butler led the successful launches of Renagel and Renvela, and the renal division grew from $150 million to over $1 billion in annual revenue. He has served on numerous not- for-profit boards, and currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the American Kidney Fund.
“As we continue to advance patiromer toward an NDA filing and begin plans to commercialize the product, John’s commercial experience in the renal segment and with polymeric drugs will be an important addition to our Board. With our recent statistically significant primary and secondary efficacy endpoints for the first part of our two-part pivotal Phase 3 trial, John’s insights will be invaluable as we transition to a company that is aiming to deliver to the market an important drug for the treatment of hyperkalemia,” noted John Orwin, Relypsa’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Prior to Genzyme, Mr. Butler held commercial positions at Amgen Inc. and Hoffmann-La Roche. He received his bachelor's degree from Manhattan College and his MBA from the Zicklin School, Baruch College, City University of New York.
About Hyperkalemia and Patiromer
Hyperkalemia, a life-threatening condition defined as abnormally elevated levels of potassium in the blood, is frequently prevalent in patients who suffer from renal impairment, hypertension, diabetes and/or heart failure. Hyperkalemia can lead to cardiac arrhythmia and sudden death. Patients with chronic kidney disease or heart failure are at particular risk for developing hyperkalemia, especially those treated with RAAS inhibitors such as ARBs (Angiotensin Receptor Blockers), AAs (Aldosterone Antagonists), and ACE (Angiotensin-Converting-Enzyme) Inhibitors. Although RAAS inhibition has been shown to protect kidney and cardiac function, many patients who could benefit from RAAS inhibitors are untreated or undertreated due to the undesirable side effect of increasing serum potassium.
Patiromer (RLY5016 for Oral Suspension) is a high capacity non-absorbed oral potassium binder being developed for the treatment of hyperkalemia. Relypsa has completed several clinical trials of patiromer that have demonstrated the preliminary efficacy, safety and tolerability of patiromer in patients with hyperkalemia.
About Relypsa, Inc.
Relypsa, Inc. is a privately held pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of non-absorbed polymeric drugs to treat disorders in the areas of renal, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Enrollment of the company’s two-part pivotal Phase 3 trial of its lead product candidate, patiromer, for the treatment of hyperkalemia, a life-threatening condition defined as abnormally elevated levels of potassium in the blood, has been completed. The first part of this trial met both the primary and secondary endpoints, with the results being both statistically significant and clinically meaningful. Primary endpoint results from the second part of this trial are expected to be reported in the fourth quarter of 2013. Relypsa has global royalty-free commercialization rights to patiromer and intellectual property protection in the U.S. until at least 2030. More information is available at www.relypsa.com.
Source: Relypsa
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