Benzinga | Feb 24, 2021 07:01AM EST

AzurRx BioPharma Appoints President and CEO James Sapirstein as New Chairman of the Board of Directors

AzurRx BioPharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:AZRX), ("AzurRx" or the "Company"), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of targeted, non-systemic therapies for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases, announced today the appointment of James Sapirstein, President and CEO, as chairman of the company's board of directors, effective immediately. Mr. Sapirstein succeeds Mr. Edward J. Borkowski, who joined the AzurRx board in May 2015 and has served as chairman since April 2016. Mr. Borkowski will remain as lead independent director of the board of directors.

"AzurRx is on the verge of several important inflection points, and I am pleased to take on additional responsibilities at this exciting stage in the company's evolution," said Mr. Sapirstein. "I look forward to working with Ed and the other Board members to propel a business and clinical strategy that, I believe, has the potential to transform AzurRx and generate substantial value for the company and our shareholders. I look forward to advancing the clinical programs for our lead investigational candidate, MS1819, and our novel niclosamide therapies to rapidly deliver safe and efficacious product candidates to patients who need them the most."

Mr. Sapirstein added, "On behalf of the Board, I want to express my appreciation to Ed for his years of service to AzurRx. Under his dedicated stewardship, AzurRx has advanced its mission to develop world-class medicines that address serious disease-related GI complications. I am grateful for all that Ed has contributed to AzurRx and look forward to his ongoing input as a member of the Board and our lead independent director."

"Having served on AzurRx's Board since 2015, I am committed to ensuring a prosperous future for the company," stated Mr. Borkowski. "Under James' leadership, AzurRx has strategically expanded its existing pipeline to pursue new opportunities in the treatment of gastrointestinal conditions. The recent licensing agreement with First Wave Bio represents an exciting new chapter in the company's growth with the potential to generate both near-term and long-range returns for AzurRx shareholders. James has been instrumental in implementing this strategy, and he is ideally suited to lead the company as both Chairman and CEO as we seek to maximize the full potential of AzurRx's pipeline and advance our clinical development programs."