REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Relypsa, Inc. (Nasdaq:RLYP), a biopharmaceutical company, today announced the appointment of Sylvia R. Wheeler to the position of Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Affairs. Ms. Wheeler, a veteran biopharmaceutical executive, joins Relypsa with over 20 years of experience in investor relations and corporate communications. In her new role, Ms. Wheeler will be a member of the leadership team and will report to John Orwin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Relypsa.
"Following our initial public offering and strong progress in the development of our lead compound, patiromer, we are pleased to have Sylvia join our team to lead our communications efforts," said Mr. Orwin. "We anticipate continued momentum and growth at the company and look forward to her contributions to our external and internal communications efforts."
Ms. Wheeler joins Relypsa from Hyperion Therapeutics, Inc. a biopharmaceutical company where she most recently served as Vice President, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications. Prior to joining Hyperion, Ms. Wheeler served as Vice President, Corporate Communications for Affymax, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company. Ms. Wheeler has also served in similar functions at other biopharmaceutical companies: Depomed, Inc., Cerus Corporation, and Coulter Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and at Russell Welsh, a communications agency focused exclusively on the bioscience industry. Ms. Wheeler earned her M.B.A from the University of San Francisco and a B.A. in Biology from San Francisco State University.
About Relypsa, Inc.
Relypsa, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of non-absorbed polymeric drugs to treat disorders in the areas of renal, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. 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 and the primary and secondary endpoints were met. Relypsa has global royalty-free commercialization rights to patiromer, which has intellectual property protection in the U.S. until at least 2030. More information is available at www.relypsa.com.
Forward Looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Relypsa, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding (i) its strong progress in the development of patiromer and (ii) its continued momentum and growth. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our clinical development programs, 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 the clinical drug development process, including the regulatory approval process, the timing of our regulatory filings, our substantial dependence on patiromer, our commercialization plans and efforts, and other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of our drug candidate. Relypsa 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 the business of the Company in general, see Relypsa's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 19, 2014, and its future periodic reports to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.