CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 23, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:AGIO), a leader in the fields of cancer metabolism and rare genetic disorders of metabolism, today announced that the company's board of directors has appointed Maykin Ho, Ph.D., former partner at the Goldman Sachs Group, as an independent director to the company's board.
"We are delighted to welcome Maykin to our board," said David Schenkein, M.D., chief executive officer of Agios. "We believe her unparalleled healthcare finance experience, which includes over 20 years at the senior advisory level at one of the industry's top banking institutions, will be invaluable as we continue to build a multi-product biopharmaceutical company."
"The rapid progress of the cancer and rare genetic disorders programs at Agios is a validation of the company's scientific leadership in dysregulated metabolism," said Dr. Ho. "I look forward to working with the accomplished board of directors and the outstanding management team as Agios starts late-stage clinical development and reaches vital milestones over the next several years."
Dr. Ho has more than 30 years of experience in the healthcare and finance industries. She is a retired partner of the Goldman Sachs Group where she served as senior biotechnology analyst, co-head of healthcare for global investment research and advisory director for healthcare investment banking. Previously, Dr. Ho held various managerial positions in licensing, strategic planning, marketing and research at DuPont-Merck Pharmaceuticals and DuPont de Nemours & Company. She is a member of the board of directors and chair of the audit committee for the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center in New York. She also served on the investment committee of the Society of Neuroscience. Dr. Ho was a postdoctoral fellow in the pathology department of Harvard Medical School and a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at The Fuqua School of Business, Duke University. She received a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology and a B.S. from the State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center.
The board also made additional changes among its existing members. Kevin Starr, co-founder and partner at Third Rock Ventures, who has served as the company's chairman, chose not to stand for re-election when his term expired at the 2015 annual meeting of stockholders on June 23, 2015. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, Ph.D., has been named as the company's new chairman, and Kaye Foster-Cheek will replace Dr. Tessier-Lavigne as chair of the compensation committee. Both appointments are effective immediately.
About Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Agios Pharmaceuticals is focused on discovering and developing novel investigational medicines to treat cancer and rare genetic disorders of metabolism through scientific leadership in the field of cellular metabolism. In addition to an active research and discovery pipeline across both therapeutic areas, Agios has multiple first-in-class investigational medicines in clinical and/or preclinical development. All Agios programs focus on genetically identified patient populations, leveraging our knowledge of metabolism, biology and genomics. For more information, please visit the company's website at agios.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include those regarding the expected benefits of Dr. Ho's service on the Board of Directors of Agios and the company's plans for growth and advancement of its programs. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "potential," "possible," "hope," "could," "would" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Such statements are subject to numerous important factors, risks and uncertainties that may cause actual events or results to differ materially from Agios' current expectations and beliefs, including the risks described under the caption "Risk Factors" included in Agios' Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, and other filings that Agios may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the future. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Agios expressly disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT: Renee Leck, Senior Manager, Investor Relations and Public Relations [email protected] 617-649-8299