Ardelyx Appoints Renowned Nephrologist, Geoffrey A. Block, M.D., to Its Board of Directors

FREMONT, Calif., March 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Ardelyx, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARDX), today announced the appointment of Geoffrey A. Block, M.D., Vice President, Nephrology at Reata and former Director of Clinical Research in the Denver Nephrology Research Division at Colorado Kidney Care/Denver Nephrologists, to the company's board of directors, effective March 14, 2019.  

Dr. Block is one of the world's preeminent nephrologists and a trailblazer in leading clinical development for drugs focused on enhancing the care and treatment of patients suffering from chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients on dialysis. Dr. Block has participated extensively in guiding the development of tenapanor, Ardelyx's lead product candidate in Phase 3 clinical trials for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in ESRD patients on dialysis.

"We are delighted to welcome Geoff to our board of directors," said Mike Raab, president and chief executive officer of Ardelyx. "Geoff is a long-time advisor, and it is his work that inspired me to focus on the needs of patients in the renal community almost 20 years ago. As a pioneer in nephrology research and patient care, he brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Ardelyx board and serves as a strong endorsement of tenapanor and its potential to improve treatment options for the many patients on dialysis with hyperphosphatemia."

"Despite widespread recognition in the nephrology community that hyperphosphatemia is clearly and distinctly associated with morbidity and mortality in patients on dialysis, we have seen little improvement on how phosphorus is managed," said Dr. Block. "I view tenapanor as an important new development in the field with the potential to offer patients a highly differentiated alternative to phosphate binders, which patients find terribly inconvenient, impacting their compliance and ability to keep phosphate levels under control."

Dr. Block currently serves as Vice President, Nephrology at Reata Pharmaceuticals and previously served as an associate clinical professor in Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, as an attending physician at St. Joseph's Hospital, and as the medical director of the DaVita-Lowry Hemodialysis Unit. Dr. Block received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed his fellowship in nephrology at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

About Ardelyx, Inc.
Ardelyx is focused on enhancing the way people with cardiorenal diseases are treated by developing first-in-class medicines. Ardelyx's cardiorenal pipeline includes the Phase 3 development of tenapanor for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia in people with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are on dialysis, and RDX013, a potassium secretagogue program for the potential treatment of high potassium, or hyperkalemia, a problem among certain patients with kidney and/or heart disease. In addition, Ardelyx has completed Phase 3 development of tenapanor for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and submitted a new drug application, or NDA, to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, for the treatment of patients with IBS-C which has been granted a target action date under the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) of September 12, 2019. To efficiently bring its treatments to market, Ardelyx is pursuing strategic collaborations for tenapanor for IBS-C and hyperphosphatemia in certain territories. Ardelyx has established agreements with Kyowa Hakko Kirin in Japan, Fosun Pharma in China and Knight Therapeutics in Canada. For more information, please visit http://www.ardelyx.com/ and connect with us on Twitter @Ardelyx.

Forward Looking Statements
To the extent that statements contained in this press release are not descriptions of historical facts regarding Ardelyx, they are forward-looking statements reflecting the current beliefs and expectations of management made pursuant to the safe harbor of the Private Securities Reform Act of 1995, including the potential for Ardelyx's product candidates in treating the diseases and conditions for which they are being developed. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause the development of Ardelyx's product candidates or Ardelyx's 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 development process, including the regulatory approval process. Ardelyx 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 Ardelyx's business in general, please refer to Ardelyx's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 6, 2019, and its future current and periodic reports to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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SOURCE Ardelyx