BOSTON, Oct 17 — Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: IRWD), a biotechnology company developing and commercializing life-changing therapies for people living with gastrointestinal (GI) and rare diseases, today announced that its Board of Directors appointed Chief Commercial Officer Tammi Gaskins as Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors, effective January 1, 2027. On that date Chief Executive Officer Tom McCourt will retire from his current role and will remain a member of the Board of Directors.
“The Board of Directors selected Tammi Gaskins to be Ironwood’s next CEO because she is a proven leader with a deep understanding of the business, culture and late-stage pipeline. Tammi was instrumental in driving the turnaround of LINZESS® this year, returning it to blockbuster status and growth. She is uniquely positioned to build upon the strong momentum Ironwood has delivered so far in 2026, and to lead the company through its next phase of growth,” said Julie McHugh, Chair of the Ironwood Board of Directors.
Tammi has been a leader in Ironwood’s commercial organization since joining the company in 2020 playing a critical role establishing LINZESS as the number one prescribed brand in the U.S. for the treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) or chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC). She has also led commercial development efforts for apraglutide, a potential best-in-class, once-weekly GLP-2 analog in Phase 3 development for the treatment of adults with short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure (SBS-IF). Prior to joining Ironwood, Tammi held commercial leadership roles of increasing responsibilities during a 20-year tenure at AstraZeneca.
“It is an honor to be named Ironwood’s next CEO, and I would like to thank Tom and the Board of Directors for their leadership and support,” said Gaskins. “I am excited to continue working with our talented team to bring innovation to patients living with GI and rare diseases. This has been a turnaround year for Ironwood as we have worked to maximize the value of LINZESS and strengthen our balance sheet while advancing the confirmatory STARS-2 clinical trial of apraglutide in SBS-IF. With each step we are shaping Ironwood for the future, working to bring treatment advancements to patients and creating value for shareholders. I look forward to helping Ironwood continue to grow as we extend this momentum into 2027 and beyond.”
“The Board would like to thank Tom for his steady leadership over the last 17 years. From the first approval and launch of LINZESS to the acquisition of VectivBio and progress of the apraglutide program, Tom has made an indelible mark on Ironwood. We wish him well in his retirement and look forward to continuing our collaboration with him on the Board,” said McHugh.
Tom joined Ironwood as its first Chief Commercial Officer helping to shape the clinical profile of LINZESS to enable its commercial success. Building the commercial organization from the ground up, Tom and the team collaborated closely with multiple LINZESS partners over the years to grow it into a blockbuster brand. After becoming CEO in 2021, he led the effort to acquire VectivBio bringing apraglutide to Ironwood’s late-stage pipeline. Before Ironwood, Tom made significant contributions to the commercial and drug development efforts for several market-leading brands at Merck, Astra Merck, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Amgen.
“Working with Tammi closely for several years, I’ve seen first-hand the impact of her business acumen, her passion for Ironwood’s culture and, most importantly, her relentless commitment to bringing better GI medicines to patients. I have every confidence that she will be a strong successor to lead Ironwood into the future,” said McCourt. “I’m grateful for the honor of leading this company, for all of the Ironwood colleagues who shared this journey with me, and for the differences in patients’ lives we have made by working together.”
