Heidelberg Pharma Appoints New CEO in Leadership Transition

Heidelberg Pharma AG announced a significant leadership change with the Supervisory Board revoking Professor Andreas Pahl's appointment as Executive Management Board member and Chief Executive Officer, instead appointing Dr. Dongzhou Jeffery Liu as Chairman of the Executive Management Board and new Chief Executive Officer effective immediately. This transition marks a pivotal moment for the company as it advances its clinical stage Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) development programs.

Dr. Liu, who previously served as Chief Scientific Officer and President of Huadong Global Development at Huadong Medicine in Hangzhou, China, brings over 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience to his new role. His background includes leadership positions at major pharmaceutical companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Wyeth (now Pfizer), and Forest Labs (now Abbvie), with extensive expertise in clinical and preclinical research & development of medicinal products, including ADC products. The transition period will see Dr. Liu seconded as a deputy member to the Executive Management Board until his permanent appointment becomes effective on December 24, 2025.

Dr. Karl Benedikt Biesinger, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, acknowledged Professor Pahl's contributions to Heidelberg Pharma's development, particularly his role in shaping the company's unique Amanitin-based ADC technology that led to the clinical stage ADC project HDP-101. The leadership change comes at a critical juncture as Heidelberg Pharma advances its ATAC technology platform, which represents a novel approach in cancer therapy by using the compound Amanitin from the green death cap mushroom.

The company's lead candidate HDP-101 (INN: pamlectabart tismanitin) is a BCMA ATAC in clinical development for multiple myeloma and has received both Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation from the FDA. Additional pipeline candidates include HDP-102 for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, HDP-103 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and HDP-104 targeting gastrointestinal tumors such as colorectal cancer. More information about the company's technology and development programs is available at https://www.heidelberg-pharma.com.

Dr. Liu expressed confidence in Heidelberg Pharma's ATAC technology, noting the promising clinical data with HDP-101 and emphasizing the platform's potential for developing effective cancer treatments. This leadership transition underscores the company's commitment to advancing its innovative ADC technologies and strengthening its position in the competitive oncology therapeutics landscape as it progresses toward a new generation of targeted cancer treatments.