Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that Michael Shetzline, M.D., Ph.D., will join Ironwood as chief medical officer, senior vice president and head of drug development, effective January 28, 2019. Dr. Shetzline will lead global product development for Ironwood following its planned separation into two independent, publicly-traded companies. In his role, Dr. Shetzline will focus on driving innovation designed to enhance the value of the company’s existing GI assets and creating new GI product opportunities. He will report to Thomas McCourt, who will become President of Ironwood following the separation.

Mr. McCourt commented, “Mike is one of the most experienced drug developers in GI and a vital addition to the Ironwood team as we focus on building a leading GI healthcare company. His vast experience leading global clinical development, regulatory and commercial strategy across multiple therapeutic areas including GI will be pivotal for us as we advance our late-stage development portfolio – IW-3718 for persistent GERD and MD-7246 for abdominal pain – and seek to bring new innovative medicines to patients.”

“Ironwood is at a transformative point in its trajectory, one that’s built on an incredibly solid foundation of GI expertise,” said Dr. Shetzline. “From an industry perspective, it is clear that Ironwood’s focus on GI positions it strongly for long-term growth and I am honored and excited to lead development and expansion of its promising pipeline.”

Dr. Shetzline is a gastroenterologist and internist, bringing exceptional expertise from more than 25 years in the biopharmaceutical industry and academia. His proven track record is derived from his leadership and vast experience in all facets of drug development – including discovery research, translational medicine and clinical development – across many areas of GI science including functional GI disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, microbiome, rare diseases, and acid related disorders. Dr. Shetzline has been involved in several successful approved drug development programs in the U.S. and globally. He also has extensive experience in managing collaborations, including serving on the joint development committees for early- and late-stage development ventures. Before joining Ironwood, Dr. Shetzline served as vice president and head of gastroenterology clinical sciences at Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Co., where he led global clinical development for all GI assets.

Prior to his role at Takeda, he served as vice president and global head of gastroenterology at Ferring International Pharmascience Center U.S., Inc, during which he led the largest clinical development program in functional GI disorders. Before that, he was vice president and global program head, integrated hospital care, critical care and cardiovascular and metabolism, and head of translational medicine GI discovery at Novartis Pharmaceuticals AG. Dr. Shetzline also played a key role on the U.S. GI franchise team supporting ZELNORM while at Novartis. Dr. Shetzline had a successful career within academia serving as gastroenterology program director and assistant professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center in the U.S. He has published over 40 full papers and book chapters and acted as a reviewer for a range of medical journals, including authoring a chapter in Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease on Gastrointestinal Hormones. Dr. Shetzline earned his M.D. and Ph.D. at The Ohio State University in physiology and medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency and fellowship in gastroenterology as well as serving on the faculty as a National Institutes of Health (NIH) supported physician scientist at Duke University Medical Center. Dr. Shetzline is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Gastroenterology, and American Gastroenterological Association.