NEW YORK, April 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AzurRx BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZRX) a company specializing in the development of non-systemic, recombinant therapies for gastrointestinal diseases today announced the appointment of Gregory Oakes to the Board of Directors effective April 13, 2020.

“Greg is a strong and welcomed addition to our board,” said James Sapirstein, CEO of AzurRx BioPharma. “His broad experience in pharmaceutical commercialization and acquisitions will help AzurRx as we advance MS1819 through two Phase 2 clinical studies in 2020 and intensify our partnering discussions.”

"I am excited to join the AzurRx Board with its compelling potential synthetic alternative to PERT therapy,” said Mr. Oakes. “I look forward to helping the Company realize the full commercial potential of the MS1819 program."

Mr. Oakes brings to the AzurRx Board over 25 years of pharmaceutical industry and leadership experience. He currently serves as Corporate Vice President – Global integration Lead for Otezla at Amgen where he is overseeing the integration and continued success of the $2B brand and positioning it for sustained growth. Prior to Amgen, Mr. Oakes was Corporate Vice President and US General Manager at Celgene. Mr. Oakes also served as the Global Commercial Integration Lead at Celgene where he helped steer the $74B acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb and the $13.4B divestiture of Otezla. Prior to Celgene, Mr. Oakes held several positions at Novartis, most recently as Head of Sandoz Biopharmaceuticals, North America. He began his career at Schering-Plough (Merck) where he held executive roles both in the US and Europe. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Business Administration from Edinboro University and a M.B.A. from Clemson University. He currently sits on the Board of BioNJ and served on various Executive Committees at Celgene, Novartis, and Schering-Plough (Merck).

About AzurRx BioPharma, Inc.

AzurRx BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZRX) is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the research and development of non-systemic biologics for the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal disorders. The Company’s lead drug candidate, MS1819, is a recombinant lipase enzyme for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) associated with cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic pancreatitis (CP). The Company is headquartered in New York, NY, with scientific operations based in Langlade, France. Additional information on the Company can be found at www.azurrx.com.