BOSTON, Feb. 23, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Rhythm Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RYTM), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to transforming the care of people living with rare genetic diseases of obesity, today announced the promotions of Joe Shulman to Chief Technical Officer, Patrick Kleyn, Ph.D., to Senior Vice President and Head of Translational Research and Development, and Elisabeth Crönert-Bendell, M.D., to Senior Vice President and Head of Strategy.
“We are pleased to announce the promotions of three exceptionally talented and influential leaders on Rhythm’s executive leadership team,” said David Meeker, M.D., Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rhythm. “Joe, Patrick and Elisabeth continue to play vital roles in our efforts to build a global organization, deliver IMCIVREE® (setmelanotide) to patients and families and execute on our mission of transforming the care of rare genetic diseases of obesity.”
Mr. Shulman joined Rhythm in 2020 as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Technical Operations at Ra Pharmaceuticals, acquired by UCB, where he oversaw all aspects of CMC development and strategy as a member of the executive leadership team. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President of Global Technical Operations at Novelion Therapeutics, and earlier in his career, Mr. Shulman held similar roles at Ziopharm Oncology and Dyax Corp. He holds an M.B.A. from Boston University and earned a B.S. in chemical engineering from Miami University of Ohio.
Dr. Kleyn joined Rhythm’s Translational Research and Development team in 2018 and has recently been serving as its interim head. He has 30 years of experience across industry and academia and brings a deep understanding of both genetics and management. Dr. Kleyn previously held leadership positions including Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Executive Officer at several biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. He earned a Ph.D. in molecular genetics from the University College London in the UK.
Dr. Crönert-Bendell joined Rhythm in 2021 and has been serving as Vice President and Head of International Strategy, playing a leading role in global expansion. A neurologist by training, she has led clinical development programs, medical affairs organizations, sales and marketing teams, and served as the global product lead for multiple companies including Kyowa Kirin and Sanofi Genzyme. Prior to that, she worked in Strategic Consulting at Monitor. Dr. Crönert-Bendell holds an M.B.A. from INSEAD and earned an M.D. from the Université Paris-Est.
About Rhythm Pharmaceuticals
Rhythm is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to transforming the treatment paradigm for people living with rare genetic diseases of obesity. Rhythm’s precision medicine, IMCIVREE (setmelanotide), was approved in November 2020 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for chronic weight management in adult and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older with obesity due to POMC, PCSK1 or LEPR deficiency confirmed by genetic testing and in July and September 2021, respectively, by the European Commission (EC) and Great Britain’s Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for the treatment of obesity and the control of hunger associated with genetically confirmed loss-of-function biallelic POMC, including PCSK1, deficiency or biallelic LEPR deficiency in adults and children 6 years of age and above. IMCIVREE is the first-ever FDA-approved and EC- and MHRA-authorized therapy for patients with these rare genetic diseases of obesity. The Company submitted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the FDA, which was accepted for filing in November 2021 and assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of March 16, 2022, and submitted a Type II variation application to the European Medicines Agency in October 2021 seeking regulatory approval and authorization for setmelanotide to treat obesity and control of hunger in adult and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older with BBS or Alström syndrome in both the United States and European Union. Additionally, Rhythm is advancing a broad clinical development program for setmelanotide in other rare genetic diseases of obesity and is leveraging the Rhythm Engine and the largest known obesity DNA database — now with approximately 45,000 sequencing samples — to improve the understanding, diagnosis and care of people living with severe obesity due to certain genetic deficiencies. Rhythm’s headquarters is in Boston, MA.
