Craig Granowitz, M.D., Ph.D. Joins Lexicon as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer

THE WOODLANDS, Texas, July 30, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX), today announced that Craig Granowitz, M.D., Ph.D. will join the company as senior vice president and chief medical officer, effective August 2, 2021.

Dr. Granowitz joins Lexicon with deep and successful leadership experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having previously built global medical organizations at three separate companies. Before joining Lexicon, Dr. Granowitz served as chief medical officer at Amarin Corporation plc, where he was a key leader on the company’s clinical development programs and held a number of other medical, safety and communications responsibilities. Prior to joining Amarin, Dr. Granowitz was senior vice president and head of global medical affairs, global human health at Merck & Co., Inc., where he developed and implemented an entirely new global medical affairs organization following Merck’s merger with Schering-Plough Corporation. Prior to the merger, he held a variety of medical and commercial management positions with Schering-Plough, including group vice president, head of global medical affairs.

“We are very pleased to have Dr. Granowitz join Lexicon as our chief medical officer,” said Lonnel Coats, Lexicon’s president and chief executive officer. “He will be instrumental in building out our medical affairs organization and overseeing development of our pipeline. His experience as a physician, scientist and medical affairs leader with notable success in cardiovascular medicine makes him a particularly valuable addition to our management team as we prepare to file a new drug application for sotagliflozin as a therapy for people suffering from heart failure and living with type 2 diabetes.”

“I am very excited to join the Lexicon team as we continue to advance sotagliflozin toward filing for regulatory approval,” said Craig Granowitz, M.D., Ph.D. “The SOLOIST and SCORED studies clearly demonstrate the potential for sotagliflozin to improve the care of people living with type 2 diabetes and heart failure, particularly those with normal, or “preserved,” left ventricular ejection fraction (≥ 50%). I look forward to the opportunity to build on the evolving science around sotagliflozin’s unique mechanism of action and the compelling scientific platform that forms the foundation for Lexicon’s drug discovery and development pipeline.”

Dr. Granowitz earned his M.D. from the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University and his Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University. He is a recognized expert in cardiovascular health and author of more than 30 peer-reviewed abstracts and manuscripts in respected journals and publications, including: The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist, Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Society for Preventative Cardiology, European Society of Cardiology, International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research, National Kidney Foundation, the National Lipid Association and the New England Journal of Medicine.

About Lexicon Pharmaceuticals

Lexicon is a biopharmaceutical company with a mission of pioneering medicines that transform patients’ lives. Through its Genome5000™ program, Lexicon scientists studied the role and function of nearly 5,000 genes and identified more than 100 protein targets with significant therapeutic potential in a range of diseases. Through the precise targeting of these proteins, Lexicon is pioneering the discovery and development of innovative medicines to safely and effectively treat disease. Lexicon advanced one of these medicines to market and has a pipeline of promising drug candidates in discovery and clinical and preclinical development in neuropathic pain, heart failure, diabetes and metabolism and other indications. For additional information, please visit www.lexpharma.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains “forward-looking statements,” including statements relating to Lexicon’s financial position and long-term outlook on its business, including the clinical development of, regulatory filings for, and potential therapeutic and commercial potential of LX9211, sotagliflozin and its other potential drug candidates. In addition, this press release also contains forward looking statements relating to Lexicon’s growth and future operating results, discovery and development of products, strategic alliances and intellectual property, as well as other matters that are not historical facts or information. All forward-looking statements are based on management’s current assumptions and expectations and involve risks, uncertainties and other important factors, specifically including Lexicon’s ability to meet its capital requirements, successfully conduct preclinical and clinical development and obtain necessary regulatory approvals of LX9211, sotagliflozin and its other potential drug candidates on its anticipated timelines, achieve its operational objectives, obtain patent protection for its discoveries and establish strategic alliances, as well as additional factors relating to manufacturing, intellectual property rights, and the therapeutic or commercial value of its drug candidates. Any of these risks, uncertainties and other factors may cause Lexicon’s actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Information identifying such important factors is contained under “Risk Factors” in Lexicon’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Lexicon undertakes no obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For Inquiries:

Chas Schultz
Executive Director, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations
Lexicon Pharmaceuticals
(281) 863-3421
cschultz@lexpharma.com