Ardelyx Expands Board Of Directors With Appointment Of Merdad Parsey, M.D., Ph.D., Renowned Biopharma Leader

Ardelyx, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing innovative, first-in-class medicines to address significant unmet medical needs, has announced the appointment of Merdad Parsey, M.D., Ph.D., to its board of directors. Dr. Parsey brings over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biopharma industries, having held numerous clinical development and leadership roles. 

Most recently, he served as the Chief Medical Officer at Gilead Sciences, Inc., from 2019 until his retirement in 2025. Prior to Gilead, Dr. Parsey was Senior Vice President of Early Clinical Development at Genentech, Inc. from 2015 to 2019. He also served as the CEO of 3-V Biosciences (now Sagimet Biosciences) from 2010 to 2015. Earlier in his career, Dr. Parsey held key clinical development roles at companies including Sepracor, Regeneron, and Merck.

In addition to his new role at Ardelyx, Dr. Parsey currently serves on the boards of Sagimet Biosciences Inc. and ArriVent Biopharma, Inc. He earned his B.S. in Microbiology and Biochemistry from the University of Maryland, followed by his M.D. and Ph.D. in Immunology from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. 

Mike Raab, president and chief executive officer of Ardelyx, said in a statement, “We are thrilled to welcome Merdad to our board of directors. Merdad is a veteran biotech leader and clinician with a commitment to patients that aligns with the Ardelyx vision of a healthier tomorrow for patients. His broad leadership experience spans the entire pharmaceutical development lifecycle and multiple therapeutic areas, and his deep expertise in research and early development as well as clinical strategy will be critical as we look to grow our company by building a pipeline of important medicines.”

Dr. Parsey stated, "I am very pleased to join the board of Ardelyx, especially at this time which is so critical for the company’s future. Ardelyx has defined itself as a company deeply committed to patients: delivering first-in-class medicines, focusing on patient access and disrupting expectations for how to commercialize new therapeutic agents. I look forward to working closely with the Ardelyx team to support the next phase of the company’s development as it seeks to accelerate the growth of the existing commercial products while building a pipeline of medicines that can help more patients with unmet needs.”

Dr. Parsey completed his internal medicine residency at Stanford University and a fellowship in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the University of Colorado. He was also an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Director of Critical Care Medicine at NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Parsey’s extensive experience in clinical development and leadership will support Ardelyx as it continues to advance its mission of addressing critical medical needs with groubreaking therapies.