BOSTON — Ironwood Pharmaceuticals has appointed Chief Commercial Officer Tammi Gaskins as its next chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2027, succeeding Tom McCourt, who will retire after 17 years with the company.
Gaskins will also join Ironwood’s board of directors, while McCourt will remain a board member following his retirement.
The leadership transition comes as the Boston-based biotechnology company continues to expand its portfolio of treatments for gastrointestinal and rare diseases while advancing its late-stage drug development programs.
“The Board of Directors selected Tammi Gaskins to be Ironwood’s next CEO because she is a proven leader with a deep understanding of the business, culture and late-stage pipeline,” said Julie McHugh, chair of Ironwood’s board of directors.
“Tammi was instrumental in driving the turnaround of LINZESS this year, returning it to blockbuster status and growth. She is uniquely positioned to build upon the strong momentum Ironwood has delivered so far in 2026, and to lead the company through its next phase of growth,” McHugh added.
Gaskins joined Ironwood in 2020 and has held senior leadership positions within its commercial organization. She played a key role in establishing LINZESS as a leading prescription treatment in the United States for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation and chronic idiopathic constipation.
She has also overseen commercial development efforts for apraglutide, an investigational once-weekly GLP-2 analog currently in Phase 3 development for adults with short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure.
Before joining Ironwood, Gaskins spent 20 years at AstraZeneca, where she held several commercial leadership positions.
“It is an honor to be named Ironwood’s next CEO, and I would like to thank Tom and the Board of Directors for their leadership and support,” Gaskins said.
“I am excited to continue working with our talented team to bring innovation to patients living with GI and rare diseases. This has been a turnaround year for Ironwood as we have worked to maximize the value of LINZESS and strengthen our balance sheet while advancing the confirmatory STARS-2 clinical trial of apraglutide in SBS-IF,” she added.
McCourt, who became CEO in 2021, has played a central role in Ironwood’s commercial development and expansion.
He originally joined the company as its first chief commercial officer, helping build its commercial operations and supporting the launch and growth of LINZESS into a blockbuster pharmaceutical brand.
As CEO, McCourt oversaw Ironwood’s acquisition of VectivBio, which brought apraglutide into the company’s late-stage development pipeline.
Before joining Ironwood, he held leadership roles involving commercial operations and drug development at Merck, Astra Merck, AstraZeneca, Novartis and Amgen.
“The Board would like to thank Tom for his steady leadership over the last 17 years. From the first approval and launch of LINZESS to the acquisition of VectivBio and progress of the apraglutide program, Tom has made an indelible mark on Ironwood,” McHugh said.
McCourt expressed confidence in his successor, citing Gaskins’ business experience and commitment to developing gastrointestinal treatments.
“Working with Tammi closely for several years, I’ve seen first-hand the impact of her business acumen, her passion for Ironwood’s culture and, most importantly, her relentless commitment to bringing better GI medicines to patients,” McCourt said.
“I have every confidence that she will be a strong successor to lead Ironwood into the future,” he added.
Ironwood said the transition is intended to maintain continuity as the company works to sustain LINZESS growth and advance its pipeline of treatments for gastrointestinal and rare diseases.
