Synergy Pharmaceuticals Appoints Gail M. Comer, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer

NEW YORK, May 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:SGYP) (Nasdaq:SGYPU) (Nasdaq:SGYPW), a developer of new drugs to treat gastrointestinal disorders and diseases, announced today the appointment of Gail M. Comer, M. D. as Chief Medical Officer, effective May 14, 2012. In this newly created position, Dr. Comer will report directly to President and Chief Executive Officer, Gary S. Jacob, Ph.D., and will be responsible for guiding Synergy's clinical programs, including the ongoing Phase II/III study of plecanatide, the Company's leading drug candidate.

Dr. Gail Comer, a board-certified gastroenterologist and hepatologist, has more than 14 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having spent 7 years at Abbott Laboratories as a Medical Director, six years in clinical development at Wyeth Research as Senior Medical Director, and most recently as Senior Director of the BioTherapeutics Research Unit at Pfizer. While at Wyeth, Dr. Comer was Medical Research Leader in Gastroenterology, and more recently, while at Pfizer, was Clinical Lead for multiple biologic compounds in early development in inflammatory bowel disease.



Dr. Comer was an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at The State University of New York at Stony Brook prior to joining the pharmaceutical industry.