NETRIS Pharma Welcomes Eric Falcand as Independent Director to Its Board of Directors

November 28th, 2024 – Lyon, France and Geneva, Switzerland. NETRIS Pharma, a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to advancing the next generation of molecules targeting cancer resistance, today announced the appointment of Eric Falcand to its Board of Directors as Independent Director, effective immediately.

Eric Falcand brings a wealth of experience in biopharmaceutical development and strategic leadership through key leadership roles at Synthelabo (Sanofi), Servier and Neopharmed Gentili. His extensive background in oncology (beyond other therapeutic domains) in Chief Executive and Chief Business Officer positions will provide invaluable guidance as NETRIS Pharma advances its pipeline and prepares for its next development phase with the read-out of three Proof-of-concept clinical trials in the first semester of 2025.

“We are thrilled to welcome Eric Falcand to our Board of Directors,” said Jean-Pierre Bizzari, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “Eric brings a unique perspective and deep expertise that align with our mission to transform patient care through cutting-edge therapies” he added. Patrick Mehlen, CEO of NETRIS Pharma, commented :“As we continue to scale and make strides in targeting resistance in oncology, Eric Falcand leadership and strategic vision will be instrumental in guiding our development.”

“I am excited to join NETRIS Pharma at such a pivotal time in its journey” said Eric Falcand. “The company’s commitment to bringing novel solutions that increase the clinical benefits of existing therapies is both strong and exciting and its large pipeline of indications has the potential to make a profound impact on patients’ care in oncology. I look forward to working alongside the Board and a very talented team to help drive the company’s mission forward for the benefits of patients”, Eric added.

Eric Falcand brings over 35 years of experience of leadership in the pharmaceutical industry, in General Management, Business Development, Alliance Management, and Commercialization positions. He began his career in commercial operations at Virbac and Synthelabo (now Sanofi) before joining Servier in 1997. At Servier, Eric led operations in Russia and the UK before its nomination as Vice President and Global Head of Business Development in 2015, overseeing M&A and business development activities, with a strong focus on oncology. Most recently, he was appointed CEO of Neopharmed Gentili in Italy.

About NP137

NP137 is a humanized monoclonal antibody of isotype IgG1 directed against Netrin-1. Netrin-1 is overexpressed in a large number of human cancers, preventing cells from apoptosis. Expression of Netrin-1 often correlates with disease severity and no therapy has ever been tested against this new pathway. Preclinical studies show NP137 has an anti-cancer effect as a monotherapy as well as synergistic effects in combination with chemotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibitors. After confirmation of the excellent safety profile in human, NETRIS Pharma is currently actively recruiting in four clinical trials: GyNET trial (NCT04652076), ImmunoNET (NCT05605496), Liver-NET1 (NCT05546879) and LAP-NET1 (NCT05546853).

About NETRIS Pharma

NETRIS Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutic molecules targeting NETRIN-1, a protein aberrantly expressed in cancer cells that triggers Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition (EMT), one of the main cause of resistance to oncology therapies. NETRIN-1 has also been reported in other proliferation disorders such as endometriosis and fibrosis. Our lead product, NP137, is the most advanced product candidate targeting NETRIN-1 with its mode-of-action of first-in-class compound published in Nature® in 2023.

Further information can be found at: https://www.netrispharma.com.