Alentis Appoints Mark Pruzanski as CEO

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4:00 AM on Wednesday, October 15

The Associated Press

BASEL, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 15, 2025--

Alentis Therapeutics (“Alentis”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class therapies targeting claudin-1 for a range of fibrosis and oncology indications, today announced the appointment of Mark Pruzanski, MD, as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer.

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Mark Pruzanski, CEO of Alentis Therapeutics

“We are very pleased to welcome Mark to the company,”said Dr. Luca Santarelli, Chairman of the Board. “He has a proven track record in building and leading successful biotech companies, and I look forward to working with him as we continue to advance our clinical programs and expand our pipeline.”

“I am thrilled to be joining Alentis at this juncture, with key clinical data readouts expected next year for each of our three drug candidates,”said Dr. Pruzanski. “Claudin-1 overexpression was first identified as an important driver of fibrosis in chronic diseases of the liver, kidney and lung. Our lead antibody, lixudebart, selectively targets exposed claudin-1 and has demonstrated initial proof of concept in patients with advanced liver and kidney disease, positioning it as a potential pan-organ antifibrotic therapy. Claudin-1 is also highly expressed in a number of cancers, and we are enthusiastic about the potential of our two lead claudin-1 targeting ADCs currently in Phase 1/2 studies enrolling patients with various solid tumor types.”

Dr. Pruzanski is a physician entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience in the life sciences industry. Most recently, he served as Chairman and CEO of Versanis Bio where he spearheaded the development of a novel approach to obesity therapy until the company’s acquisition by Eli Lilly and Company. Prior to joining Versanis, he founded and was the longstanding CEO of Intercept Pharmaceuticals, where he successfully steered the molecule obeticholic acid from discovery to a globally marketed product in chronic liver disease. Dr. Pruzanski is currently a member of the Board of Directors of several biotechnology companies and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO).

“ I want to thank Dr. Roberto Iacone for his vision and leadership, having served as Alentis’ CEO since 2020, ” said Dr. Santarelli. “ He has been instrumental in building the company from early discovery to a well-capitalized, clinical-stage company with a great team and robust pipeline. ”

About Alentis Therapeutics

Alentis is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering first-in-class antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting claudin-1 for fibrosis and oncology indications. The company’s lead antibody, lixudebart, demonstrated dose-dependent target engagement and evidence of improved organ function in a Phase 1b study in advanced liver fibrosis and an ongoing Phase 2 study in ANCA-associated vasculitis with renal involvement (RPGN). The company’s lead oncology candidates, ALE.P02 and ALE.P03, are claudin-1 targeted ADCs with a tubulin inhibitor payload and topoisomerase‑I inhibitor payload, respectively. ALE.P02 was granted Fast Track designation by FDA for the treatment of advanced or metastatic claudin-1 expressing squamous cancers, irrespective of the organ of origin. Both ADCs are currently in Phase 1/2 studies enrolling patients with a variety of solid tumor types expressing claudin-1.

Alentis was founded based on ground-breaking research in the laboratory of Prof. Thomas Baumert, MD, at the University of Strasbourg and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). The company is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. Visit www.alentis.ch

View source version on businesswire.com:https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251015571695/en/

CONTACT: For more information please contact:

Alentis Therapeutics

Sariette Witte

[email protected]

+41 78 245 7310O Public Relations GmbH

O’Patrick Wilson

[email protected]

+41 78 888 4332

KEYWORD: EUROPE SWITZERLAND UNITED KINGDOM

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: ONCOLOGY HEALTH CLINICAL TRIALS RESEARCH SCIENCE PHARMACEUTICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

SOURCE: Alentis Therapeutics