SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIGL) today announced that it has appointed Jane Wasman to its board of directors. Ms. Wasman is a strategic leader with over 20 years of experience in the biopharma industry working with both large, multinational corporations and privately held start-ups. Her expertise includes strategic development, corporate governance, litigation, commercialization, compliance and government affairs, as well as operational implementation.

"We are excited to have Jane join the Rigel board of directors. The wealth of strategic, operational and legal knowledge she brings to the company will be invaluable as we continue to expand our potential market opportunity," said Raul Rodriguez, president and CEO of Rigel. "Based on her experience and proven success, we believe Jane will make significant contributions to the future of Rigel."

Currently, Ms. Wasman serves as President, International and General Counsel at Acorda Therapeutics where she is responsible for global strategic development, leading long-range planning and development in addition to international expansion, and the legal and compliance functions. In her role, she collaborates with senior leadership on commercialization, licensing, product pipeline development, and government affairs activities. Prior to joining Acorda, Ms. Wasman held various leadership positions at Schering-Plough Corporation, including Staff Vice President and Associate General Counsel. Previously, she was an attorney at two global law firms and Associate Counsel for the U.S. Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. Ms. Wasman is Chair of the Board of Sellas Life Sciences, an oncology-focused biotech company, and also serves on the board of the non-profit NewYorkBIO. Ms. Wasman graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

"Joining Rigel following its successful transformation into a commercial company with a strong research engine is an exciting opportunity," Ms. Wasman stated. "I look forward to working with the team as we continue to execute Rigel's global growth strategy and expand the clinical pipeline."

In addition, Rigel announced that Peter S. Ringrose, Ph.D., will retire from its board of directors, effective in May, after more than 14 years of contributions to the company's success.

Mr. Rodriguez commented, "Peter has been a tremendous asset to Rigel for well over a decade. His expertise was an integral component of our growth as we have matured from a research company into a commercial entity with a rich clinical development pipeline. On behalf of Rigel and our shareholders, I would like to thank Peter for all of his contributions to Rigel and wish him enjoyment of his future endeavors."

About Rigel (www.rigel.com)
Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a biotechnology company dedicated to discovering, developing and providing novel small molecule drugs that significantly improve the lives of patients with immune and hematologic disorders, cancer and rare diseases. Rigel's pioneering research focuses on signaling pathways that are critical to disease mechanisms. The company's first FDA approved product is TAVALISSE^® (fostamatinib disodium hexahydrate), the only oral spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) inhibitor for the treatment of adult patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia who have had an insufficient response to a previous treatment. Rigel's clinical programs include an upcoming Phase 3 study of fostamatinib in autoimmune hemolytic anemia and an ongoing Phase 1 study of R835, a proprietary molecule from its interleukin receptor associated kinase (IRAK) program. In addition, Rigel has product candidates in clinical development with partners BerGenBio ASA, Daiichi Sankyo, Aclaris Therapeutics and AstraZeneca.

Forward Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements relating to, among other things, Rigel's partnerships across its pipeline and Rigel's ability to expand its potential market opportunity. Any statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Words such as "planned," "will," "may," "expect," "anticipate," and similar expressions are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Rigel's current expectations and inherently involve significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with the commercialization and marketing of TAVALISSE; risks that the FDA, EMA or other regulatory authorities may make adverse decisions regarding fostamatinib; risks that TAVALISSE clinical trials may not be predictive of real-world results or of results in subsequent clinical trials; risks that TAVALISSE may have unintended side effects, adverse reactions or incidents of misuses; the availability of resources to develop Rigel's product candidates; market competition; as well as other risks detailed from time to time in Rigel's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Rigel does not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements and expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein.

Contact: David Burke
Phone: 650.624.1232
Email: dburke@rigel.com

Media Contact: Jessica Daitch
Phone: 917.816.6712
Email: jessica.daitch@syneoshealth.com

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SOURCE Rigel Pharmaceuticals, Inc.