Rigel Announces New Appointment to Board of Directors

Rigel Pharmaceuticals announced that Brian L. Kotzin, M.D. has been appointed to Rigel's board of directors. Kotzin brings to Rigel's board three decades of experience in the areas of immunology and inflammation.

"We are excited to welcome Dr. Kotzin to our board, and we feel confident that his leadership will be of great value to Rigel," said Raul Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer of Rigel. "We look forward to working with Dr. Kotzin and benefitting from his strategic counsel, as we continue to evolve our pipeline and move our new IRAK molecule into clinical development."

A board-certified rheumatologist and internist, Kotzin is currently Principal Fellow, Clinical Development at Nektar Therapeutics.  From 2004 to 2015, he was Vice President, Global and Clinical Development and Head, Inflammation Therapeutic Area at Amgen, directing the global development efforts for product candidates in the inflammation area. Before joining Amgen, Kotzin was the head of Clinical Immunology in the Department of Medicine and director of the Autoimmunity Center of Excellence at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver. He earned his medical degree from Stanford and undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Southern California.  Dr. Kotzin has won numerous honors, including elected "Master" of the American College of Rheumatology, the Kirkland Scholar Award for Lupus Research, the Henry Claman Chair in Clinical Immunology, the Gretchen Kramer Award for Outstanding Contributions to Medicine, and Chairmanship of the National Institutes of Health Autoimmunity Centers of Excellence.

"I am very enthusiastic about joining Rigel to support its research and development efforts as it continues to advance its pipeline," Kotzin said. "I believe the IRAK program has significant potential for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and I look forward to offering my insights and experience as they advance this program into the clinic next year."