Solid Biosciences Announces Appointment of Ian F. Smith to its Board of Directors

Smith to Deepen Strategic Leadership and Complement Commercial, Operational and Financial Expertise of the Board

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Solid Biosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: SLDB), a life sciences company focused on advancing meaningful therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, announced today the appointment of Ian F. Smith to its board of directors effective April 15, 2020. Mr. Smith is a highly accomplished life sciences executive with more than 20 years of finance and operating leadership experience with public and private biopharmaceutical companies.  

“We are excited to add Ian to our board,” said Ilan Ganot, Chief Executive Officer, President and Co-Founder of Solid Biosciences. “Ian’s significant leadership experiences from serving as a senior executive and a board member within the biotechnology industry will help Solid fulfill its mission of developing meaningful therapies for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.”

Mr. Smith currently serves as Director and Chairman of the Board of ViaCyte, Inc., a private biotechnology company focused on medicines for diabetes. Previously, he served on the board of directors of Acorda Therapeutics and Infinity Pharmaceuticals, both public companies, as well as other private biotechnology companies. He also previously served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, where he held responsibilities for a wide range of core functions, including corporate and business development, finance and accounting, investor relations, pharmaceutical manufacturing operations and global operations, facilities, and information systems. Prior to joining Vertex in 2001, Mr. Smith served as a partner in the Life Science and Technology Practice Group of the accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. 

“I am delighted about the opportunity to work with the Company, which was founded by people whose lives were directly impacted by Duchenne,” said Mr. Smith. “I look forward to contributing in many ways to help the progress and growth of Solid Biosciences.”

About Solid Biosciences

Solid Biosciences is a life science company focused solely on advancing meaningful therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (Duchenne). Founded by those touched by the disease, Solid is a center of excellence for Duchenne, bringing together experts in science, technology and care to bring forward meaningful therapies that have life-changing potential. For more information, please visit .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding our expectations regarding the IGNITE DMD clinical trial, the safety or potential efficacy of SGT-001, and other statements containing the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “would,” and similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with Solid’s ability to satisfactorily respond to requests from the FDA for further information and data regarding IGNITE DMD; successfully resolve the clinical hold with regard to IGNITE DMD; obtain and maintain necessary approvals from the FDA and other regulatory authorities and investigational review boards at clinical trial sites; enroll patients in its clinical trials; continue to advance SGT-001 in clinical trials; replicate in clinical trials positive results found in preclinical studies and earlier stages of clinical development; advance the development of its product candidates under the timelines it anticipates in current and future clinical trials; successfully scale its manufacturing process; obtain, maintain or protect intellectual property rights related to its product candidates; compete successfully with other companies that are seeking to develop Duchenne treatments and gene therapies; manage expenses; and raise the substantial additional capital needed to achieve its business objectives. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Company’s actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the “Risk Factors” section, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other important factors, in the Company’s most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.

Investor Contact:

David Carey

FINN Partners

Media Contact:

Erich Sandoval

FINN Partners

917-497-2867