WALTHAM, Mass., April 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ardelyx, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARDX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs, today announced the appointment of Rajani Dinavahi, MD, as Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Dinavahi brings more than two decades of experience in healthcare and biotechnology, spanning multiple therapeutic areas and modalities. She has extensive experience across immuno-oncology, autoimmune diseases, metabolic disease, nephrology and transplantation, with a track record of advancing programs from early development through Phase 3 and regulatory approval. Dr. Dinavahi most recently served as Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer at Atara Biotherapeutics.
“I am delighted to welcome Rajani as our new Chief Medical Officer. She brings a rare combination of scientific rigor, clinical expertise and proven leadership in advancing innovative therapies from development to patients,” said Mike Raab, president and chief executive officer of Ardelyx. “As we enter an important phase of growth and execution, Rajani’s experience and vision will be instrumental in strengthening our pipeline, deepening our medical capabilities, and ensuring we continue to deliver meaningful outcomes for patients. I look forward to partnering closely with her as we build on our momentum and shape the next chapter of our company.”
“I am thrilled to join Ardelyx at such a pivotal time in its evolution,” said Dr. Dinavahi. “The company’s commitment to advancing innovative therapies and its focus on patients strongly align with my own values and experience. I’ve been deeply impressed by the strength of the science, the dedication of the team and the opportunity to meaningfully impact patients’ lives. I look forward to working alongside this talented organization to advance the pipeline, build on the company’s momentum and help deliver important new medicines to patients who need them.”
As Chief Medical Officer at Atara Biotherapeutics, Dr. Dinavahi’s responsibilities spanned leading pre-clinical and translational sciences through global development and medical affairs of their lead T-cell directed therapy asset and allo-CART program. Prior to becoming CMO, Dr. Dinavahi held senior leadership positions at Atara across clinical sciences, program team leadership and medical affairs, where she built and led global teams to deliver on the first allogeneic T-cell therapy to be approved and launched globally. Earlier, she spent seven years at Amgen, contributing to multiple global development programs and regulatory filings for products approved across the U.S., Europe and Japan.
Dr. Dinavahi began her career in academic medicine as an Assistant Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a principal investigator in transplant research. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology, a Fellow of the American Society of Nephrology, and has authored numerous scientific publications and presentations. She earned a Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine from the University of Miami and completed her Internal Medicine residency and Nephrology fellowship training at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, followed by a clinical transplant and post-doctoral fellowship focusing on translational immunology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
About Ardelyx
Ardelyx is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines that meet significant unmet medical needs. Ardelyx has two commercial products approved in the United States, IBSRELA® (tenapanor) and XPHOZAH® (tenapanor). The company’s pipeline includes the Phase 3 development of tenapanor for chronic idiopathic constipation, and RDX10531, a next-generation NHE3 inhibitor with potential application across multiple therapeutic areas. Ardelyx has agreements for the development and commercialization of tenapanor outside of the U.S. Kyowa Kirin commercializes PHOZEVEL® (tenapanor) for hyperphosphatemia in Japan. A New Drug Application for tenapanor for hyperphosphatemia has been approved in China with Fosun Pharma. Knight Therapeutics commercializes IBSRELA in Canada. For more information, please visit https://ardelyx.com/ and connect with us on X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn and Facebook.
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