Release Details

Fonteyne Brings Decades of Management and Commercial Expertise including Executive Positions at Global Pharmaceutical Companies

WALTHAM, Mass., April 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: APLS), a global biopharmaceutical company pioneering targeted C3 therapies, today appointed Paul Fonteyne to its Board of Directors. Mr. Fonteyne’s appointment expands the Board to six directors, five of whom are independent. 

Mr. Fonteyne brings more than three decades of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including leadership roles in the United States and globally with Boehringer-Ingelheim, one of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies. Mr. Fonteyne was named President and CEO of Boehringer-Ingelheim USA in November 2011 and subsequently served as its Chairman until he retired in January 2019.

“Paul brings a wealth of leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and a track record of successfully commercializing novel medicines for patients around the world,” said Cedric Francois, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Apellis. “We are thrilled to welcome Paul to our Board of Directors. His insights will be critical as we continue to prepare for commercialization of pegcetacoplan, the only targeted C3 inhibitor in late-stage clinical trials.”

“Paul is an experienced executive who has successfully run a large organization in the pharmaceutical industry,” said Gerald Chan, Sc.D., Chairman of the Board of Apellis. “His commercial experience will bolster the expertise represented on Apellis’ Board. We are extremely fortunate to be able to attract someone of Paul’s caliber to help guide the future growth of Apellis.”

During his 15 years in leadership roles at Boehringer-Ingelheim, Mr. Fonteyne led teams that grew earnings several fold in the United States. He also participated in acquisitions and divestitures that led to a significantly greater focus of Boehringer Ingelheim’s portfolio of companies in the United States in the two main segments of Human Pharmaceuticals and Animal Health. Mr. Fonteyne oversaw several product launches and partnerships in the United States, including an alliance with Eli Lilly & Company to develop treatments for diabetes, and the launch of nintedanib, which received FDA fast-track designation and treats idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Mr. Fonteyne also held commercial leadership roles at Merck & Co., Inc. for nine years and at Abbott Laboratories for eight years.

“Working as an advisor to Apellis’ Board for the past year, I have seen firsthand the potential of the company’s targeted C3 approach for treating a broad range of debilitating, complement-driven diseases,” said Mr. Fonteyne. “I am delighted to join the Board and look forward to working with Apellis’ leadership team to deliver on the company’s goal of bringing groundbreaking therapies to people living with serious diseases.”

Mr. Fonteyne serves on the Board of Directors of AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company, as well as several clinical-stage biotechnology companies including Gelesis, DalCor, and ResTorbio inc., and Ypsomed AG, a device company. He has also served on the Board of PhRMA and chaired the National Pharmaceutical Council. Mr. Fonteyne holds a M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Brussels and an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University.

About Apellis
Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a global biopharmaceutical company that is committed to leveraging courageous science, creativity, and compassion to deliver life-changing therapies. By pioneering targeted C3 therapies, we aim to develop best-in-class and first-in-class therapies for a broad range of debilitating diseases that are driven by uncontrolled or excessive activation of the complement cascade, including those within hematology, ophthalmology, and nephrology. For more information, please visit http://apellis.com.

Apellis Forward-Looking Statement
Statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the implications of preliminary clinical data. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: whether the company’s clinical trials will be fully enrolled and completed when anticipated; whether preliminary or interim results from a clinical trial will be predictive of the final results of the trial; whether results obtained in preclinical studies and clinical trials will be indicative of results that will be generated in future clinical trials; whether pegcetacoplan will successfully advance through the clinical trial process on a timely basis, or at all; whether the results of the company’s clinical trials will warrant regulatory submissions and whether pegcetacoplan will receive approval from the FDA or equivalent foreign regulatory agencies for GA, PNH, CAD, C3G or any other indication when expected or at all; whether, if Apellis’ products receive approval, they will be successfully distributed and marketed; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of Apellis’ Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2020 and the risks described in other filings that Apellis may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof, and Apellis specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Media Contact:
Tracy Vineis
media@apellis.com
617.420.4839

Investor Contact:
Sam Martin / Maghan Meyers
Argot Partners
sam@argotpartners.com / maghan@argotpartners.com
212.600.1902