AzurRx BioPharma, Inc. announced 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. James Sapirstein was named President and Chief Executive Officer of AzurRx Therapeutics in October 2019 Mr. Sapirstein arrived at AzurRx from ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (now known as Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), where he served as chief executive officer and board member. His career in the pharmaceutical industry has spanned nearly 37 years with extensive expertise in drug development and commercialization. Prior to ContraVir, Mr. Sapirstein served as CEO of Alliqua Therapeutics, as the founding CEO of Tobira Therapeutics, and as Executive Vice President, Metabolic and Endocrinology for Serono Laboratories. Mr. Sapirstein currently sits on the boards of Marizyme, Leading Biosciences and Enochian Biosciences. He also sits on the board on the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s (BIO) Emerging Companies Board and serves as Chairman Emeritus of BioNJ.
Entero Therapeutics, Inc., formerly First Wave BioPharma, Inc., is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of targeted, non-systemic therapies for gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. Its programs address unmet needs in GI health and include latiglutenase, a Phase III-ready, oral biotherapeutic designed to aid gluten digestion and potentially reduce symptoms of celiac disease; capeserod, a selective 5-HT4 receptor partial agonist for multiple GI conditions, including gastroparesis, and adrulipase, a recombinant lipase enzyme designed to enable the digestion of fats and other nutrients in cystic fibrosis and chronic pancreatitis patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. The Company also intends to develop Niclosamide, an oral small molecule anti-inflammatory inhibitor therapy for the treatment of ulcerative proctitis and ulcerative proctosigmoiditis, and immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated colitis and diarrhea in metastatic cancer patients.