BOSTON and LONDON, Dec. 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Akari Therapeutics, Plc (Nasdaq: AKTX) today announced the appointment of Samir R. Patel, M.D., as Chief Executive Officer, effective December 16, 2024. Dr. Patel has served as interim Chief Executive Officer since May 2024. Additionally, the Company announced it has appointed Abizer Gaslightwala to its Board of Directors, effective December 16, 2024. Michael Grissinger, a member of the Board of Directors, provided notice of his resignation on December 16, 2024.
“Since beginning my role as interim CEO in May 2024, we have worked diligently to close the merger with Peak Bio, which we accomplished in November, and position Akari for continued growth and value creation. Looking ahead, we are focusing our efforts and resources to streamline operations and execute on our portfolio prioritization – our potentially best-in-class ADC platform. I am pleased to solidify my role with the Akari team and look forward to building momentum and driving shareholder value in the near and long term,” commented Dr. Patel, Chief Executive Officer of Akari.
About Samir R. Patel, M.D.
Dr. Patel currently serves as founder and principal of PranaBio Investments, LLC, a firm providing consulting, strategic advisory, and investment services for small cap biotechnology companies. He is also a consultant to GE Global Research, GE’s innovation engine that is creating novel products and solutions across several sectors including biomanufacturing and biotechnology.
He has more than 20 years of experience in life sciences including founding SPEC Pharma, LLC, a company that develops and manufactures injectables used in human and veterinary applications. Previously, Dr. Patel held multiple roles in Medical Affairs with Centocor, Inc. (now Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, part of Johnson & Johnson). He holds multiple patents, has been an author on several publications and has been an investigator in numerous clinical research studies. He has served on the boards of several public companies, including Rezolute Bio.
Dr. Patel received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio and completed his internal medicine internship, residency, and rheumatology fellowship at The University of New Mexico School of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals.
About Abizer Gaslightwala
Mr. Gaslightwala is a well-established biotechnology / pharmaceutical industry leader with a demonstrated track record of success spanning over 25 years in the development and commercialization of novel medicines across a range of companies and therapeutic areas. Mr. Gaslightwala currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Franchise Head for Oncology at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, where he has full responsibility for a portfolio of products spanning both solid and hematological malignancies that have total annual sales of $1B. These brands include ZIIHERA® for HER2+ cancers, ZEPZELCA® for small cell lung cancer, and RYLAZE®, DEFITELIO®, and VYXEOS® for a range of hematological malignancies.
“We are pleased to welcome Abizer to our Board of Directors. We believe the depth and breadth of his development and commercialization leadership and expertise amassed over the course of his career will provide valuable insight as we work to propel Akari to its next phase of growth. Additionally, we would like to thank Michael for his years of service on our board. His perspective and guidance have played a key role in getting the Company to where we are today,” added Dr. Patel.
Mr. Gaslightwala added, “I’m thrilled to join the Akari board and have been extremely compelled by the Company’s unique ADC platform targeting the spliceosome, that has the potential to set a new standard of care for cancer patients. I look forward to working closely with the management team and other members of the board to advance this platform forward and potentially address areas of significant unmet need for cancer patients.”
Prior to his current position at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Gaslightwala has led and driven growth in several leadership roles at Amgen, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson across multiple brands including Kyprolis®, Vectibix®, Neulasta®, XGEVAf®, Repatha®, and ELIQUIS®. His experience spans business unit leadership, brand marketing, sales leadership, commercial pipeline planning, advanced analytics and insights, and business development. Mr. Gaslightwala also helped lead R&D strategic planning within the autoimmune/inflammation portfolio at Johnson & Johnson, as well as lead commercial planning for Remicade® and several novel pipeline molecules focused on rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis. Additionally, Mr. Gaslightwala advised several life science companies through his time at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
Mr. Gaslightwala holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, and an MBA from the Sloan School of Management, and a MS in Chemical Engineering from MIT.
About Akari Therapeutics
Akari Therapeutics, Plc (Nasdaq: AKTX) is a biotechnology company developing advanced therapies for autoimmune, oncology and inflammatory diseases. Akari has two lead assets, investigational nomacopan and an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) platform. Nomacopan is a bispecific recombinant inhibitor of complement C5 activation and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) activity. The Company’s ADC platform includes novel toxins and linkers coupled with important cancer antibody targets. For more information about Akari, please visit akaritx.com.
