Ritter Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Appoints Robert H. Tidwell as Chief Business Officer

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - December 08, 2011) -

Highlighted Links

Ritter Pharmaceuticals

Ritter Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Ritter Pharma) has appointed Robert H. Tidwell as chief business officer. Mr. Tidwell brings over 30 years of biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry experience to Ritter Pharma as the Company prepares to partner its proprietary Phase 2 compound, RP-G28, for the treatment of lactose intolerance.

Mr. Tidwell's breadth of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry will strengthen the leadership of Ritter Pharma as it continues to build its presence in the gastrointestinal field. Mr. Tidwell will be responsible for establishing and maintaining strategic relationships to promote and build the research, development and commercial efforts of Ritter Pharma in this field.

"We are pleased to welcome Bob to our executive team, as filling this key position of chief business officer represents a major step toward building our necessary infrastructure," said Ritter Pharma's president and chief executive officer, Andrew Ritter. "Bob's business development experience and established relationships in the pharmaceutical industry will be crucial in our ability to partner our exciting compound for the treatment of lactose intolerance."

Mr. Tidwell remarked, "I am very excited about the opportunity to join Ritter Pharma. The company possesses a remarkable treatment for lactose intolerance, a disorder which affects more than four billion people worldwide. With the results of a Phase 2 clinical trial expected in the first quarter of 2012, I feel very fortunate to be in a position where I can have a major impact on bringing the full value of this treatment to the market."

Prior to joining Ritter Pharma, Mr. Tidwell spent sixteen years at Eli Lilly in various corporate development positions, including Director of Worldwide Licensing. Recently, he spent nine years as senior vice president of corporate development at Cell Genesys and served as vice president of business development at Calydon prior to Cell Genesys. Mr. Tidwell previously held a variety of marketing and business development positions at biopharmaceutical firms Scios and Genetics Institute. He holds an M.B.A. from The Ohio State Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Pharmacy from The Ohio State School of Pharmacy.

About Ritter Pharmaceuticals

Ritter Pharma is a specialty pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics based upon colonic adaptation to treat gastrointestinal diseases with an initial focus on lactose intolerance. Colonic adaptation improves colon function by selectively increasing the growth of beneficial bacteria in the colonic ecosystem. Ritter Pharma is rapidly establishing itself as the world's leader in lactose intolerance research based upon its scientific team and their cutting edge research in this field.

RP-G28, Ritter Pharma's lead product, has been studied in a Phase 2 trial and is a first-in-class compound. RP-G28 has the potential to become the first FDA-approved drug for the treatment of lactose intolerance, a debilitating disease which affects over four billion people worldwide. For additional information, please visit www.ritterpharmaceuticals.com.