Aligos Therapeutics Strengthens Senior Leadership Team with the Appointment of Hardean Achneck, MD as Chief Medical Officer
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGS), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving patient outcomes through best-in-class therapies for liver and viral diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr. Hardean Achneck as Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Achneck will lead the Company’s global clinical development efforts and serve as a member of Aligos’ Senior Leadership Team. Dr. Hardean Achneck is a seasoned clinical development executive with extensive experience across multiple therapeutic areas, including hepatology and infectious diseases.
“I am excited to welcome Hardean to Aligos as our Chief Medical Officer, with expertise across liver indications, including both MASH and CHB,” said Lawrence Blatt, Ph.D., MBA, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Aligos Therapeutics. “Following our recent positive topline data for ALG-055009 in MASH subjects, we look forward to his strategic vision as we progress towards later stage clinical development with our best-in-class pipeline of liver and viral therapies.”
“Joining Aligos at this time is a compelling opportunity, especially after the positive Phase 2a HERALD topline data readout,” stated Hardean Achneck, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Aligos. “I look forward to partnering with the team to strategically lead the Company’s current and future clinical development with the mission to improve patient outcomes.”
Most recently, Dr. Achneck served as the Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development at Pliant Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PLRX) where he oversaw all clinical programs, including those in hepatic diseases. Before joining Pliant, Dr. Achneck was the Vice President of Clinical Development and Clinical Research at Dicerna Therapeutics (Nasdaq: DRNA). Following its acquisition by Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO; Nasdaq: Novo-B) in 2021, he continued his role at the Novo Nordisk Dicerna Transformational Research Unit. He successfully advanced liver-targeted oligonucleotide assets from early to late-stage development, notably xalnesiran for chronic hepatitis B. Prior to his tenure at Dicerna, Dr. Achneck led Medical Affairs and Clinical Development at Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE: HAE). Before this, he served as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Hemostemix Inc.
Prior to his industry roles, Dr. Achneck was an Assistant Professor of Surgery and in Pathology at Duke University School of Medicine, with a co-appointment as Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disorders at Duke-National University of Singapore. Dr. Achneck holds an M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine and a B.A. in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, magna cum laude, from Yale University. Licensed to practice medicine in the U.S. and EU, he has authored over 30 peer-reviewed publications and was named an inventor on several patents.
About Aligos
Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALGS) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company founded with the mission to improve patient outcomes by developing best-in-class therapies for the treatment of liver and viral diseases. Aligos applies its science driven approach and deep R&D expertise to advance its purpose-built pipeline of therapeutics for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and viruses with high unmet medical need such as hepatitis B and coronaviruses.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements in this press release that are not historical facts may be considered “forward-looking statements,” including without limitation, statements regarding Aligos’ financial results and performance as well as research and development activities, including regulatory status and the timing of announcements and updates relating to our regulatory filings and clinical trials. Such forward looking statements are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause our development programs, future results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties inherent in the drug development process, including Aligos’ clinical-stage of development, the process of designing and conducting clinical trials, the regulatory approval processes, and other matters that could affect the sufficiency of Aligos’ capital resources to fund operations. For a further description of the risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the business of Aligos in general, see Aligos’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 6, 2024 and its future periodic reports to be filed or submitted with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Aligos undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
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