Ironwood Pharmaceuticals announced on October 16, 2026, that Chief Commercial Officer Tammi Gaskins will become chief executive officer and join its board on January 1, 2027. The Ironwood CEO transition will see Tom McCourt retire from the executive role while remaining a director.
Key Takeaways
- Gaskins will take over as CEO and join the board on January 1, 2027.
- McCourt will retire from the CEO role but retain his board seat.
- The incoming leader has overseen commercial work on LINZESS and the development-stage drug apraglutide.
Table of Contents
- Ironwood CEO handover keeps commercial experience at the top
- LINZESS and apraglutide frame the business priorities
- McCourt leaves the executive role after a long tenure
- Conclusion
Ironwood CEO handover keeps commercial experience at the top
Ironwood’s leadership transition announcement places an existing commercial executive in charge rather than bringing in an outside successor. Gaskins joined the company in 2020 and previously spent 20 years at AstraZeneca in commercial leadership roles.
Board Chair Julie McHugh said the board selected Gaskins for her understanding of Ironwood’s business, culture and late-stage pipeline. McHugh also credited her with helping return LINZESS to growth in 2026.
McCourt’s continued board membership means the handover changes executive leadership without ending his involvement in company oversight.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Announcement date | October 16, 2026 |
| Effective handover | January 1, 2027 |
| Gaskins’s previous employer | AstraZeneca, where she spent 20 years |
| McCourt’s CEO appointment | 2021 |
LINZESS and apraglutide frame the business priorities
Ironwood develops and commercializes treatments for gastrointestinal and rare diseases. Its established product, LINZESS, is co-developed and co-commercialized with AbbVie in the United States.
Gaskins has also led commercial development efforts for apraglutide, a once-weekly GLP-2 analog in Phase 3 development for adults with short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure. The program remains investigational rather than an approved source of product sales.
In her appointment statement, Gaskins identified maximizing LINZESS’s value, strengthening the balance sheet and advancing the confirmatory STARS-2 trial of apraglutide as areas of work during 2026. Those comments describe management’s priorities; the leadership announcement does not establish new financial guidance or a regulatory approval timetable.
McCourt leaves the executive role after a long tenure
McCourt joined Ironwood as its first chief commercial officer and became CEO in 2021. His tenure included the initial approval and launch of LINZESS and the acquisition of VectivBio, which brought apraglutide into Ironwood’s late-stage pipeline.
The company described his retirement as following 17 years at Ironwood and four decades in the industry.
Conclusion
The next confirmed milestone is the January 1, 2027, handover, when Gaskins is scheduled to assume both the CEO role and a board seat, with McCourt remaining a director.
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