Press Release
For Immediate Release – May 13, 2009
Tranzyme Pharma CEO Vipin Garg Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2009 Award Finalist in the Carolinas
RTP, NC (May 13, 2009) – Tranzyme Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company, today announced that its President and CEO, Vipin K. Garg, PhD, is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2009 Award in the Carolinas. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. Dr. Garg was selected as a finalist from nearly 75 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on June 18, 2009 at the Westin Charlotte.
Under Dr. Garg’s leadership, Tranzyme has grown from an early stage technology startup to a product-focused biotechnology company. Tranzyme has nearly 40 employees at two locations in the US and Canada, and is recognized as a leader in innovative drug discovery. In 2005, Tranzyme was named one of the top 15 emerging biotechnology companies in the US by Fierce Biotech, a leading industry newsletter, and in 2006, Tranzyme’s lead product was featured as one of the five most promising new drugs to enter clinical development by Thomson Pharma’s report, “The Ones to Watch”. In March of this year Tranzyme’s drug TZP-101 was recognized as one of the “100 Great Investigational Drugs – 2009” by R&D Directions.
“To be named a finalist for such an esteemed award is a great honor for me personally, but more importantly it recognizes the hard work and dedication of our employees, without whom Tranzyme would not be the success it is today”, said Garg. “I am grateful to be in the company of so many accomplished entrepreneurs and look forward to working with colleagues in the Carolinas to help drive our region’s growth”.
“Under Vipin’s direction, Tranzyme has become a major international innovator and developer of drugs for gastrointestinal (GI) disorders”, said David J. Drutz, MD, Chairman of the Board for Tranzyme Pharma, and General Partner, Pacific Rim Ventures Co., Ltd. “This could not be occurring at a more opportune time”, he continued, “because the recent removal of a number of existing GI drugs from the marketplace by regulatory agencies has left millions of patients without treatment alternatives”.
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 23rd anniversary this year. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders in over 135 cities in 50 countries throughout the world.
Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur Of The Year national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on November 14, 2009. The awards are the culminating event of the Ernst & Young Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America as national sponsors.
In the Carolinas, sponsors include King & Spalding, Bowne and Business Leader Media.
About Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® Awards Program
Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award is the world’s most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® award celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 135 cities in 50 countries.
About Tranzyme Pharma
Tranzyme Pharma is a late stage biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of both acute care (hospital-based) and chronic indications with significant unmet medical needs. For more information on Tranzyme, please visit: http://www.tranzyme.com.
Contact: Susan S. Josselyn
Corporate Communications Manager
Tranzyme Pharma
(919) 313-4761
