Appili Therapeutics Appoints Seasoned Infectious Disease Global Drug Development Executive Dr. Theresa Matkovits to Its Board of Directors

HALIFAX, Nova Scotia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Appili Therapeutics Inc. (the “Company” or “Appili”), a biopharmaceutical company focused on drug development for infectious diseases, has appointed industry veteran Theresa Matkovits, PhD, to serve on the Company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Matkovits’ career includes roles in all facets of anti-infective global drug development. She currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of ContraVir Pharmaceuticals, where she leads the global development for the Company’s clinical-stage antiviral portfolio.

“Augmenting our Board with an executive with Theresa’s proven record for successful drug development programs will be a tremendous asset to Appili,” said Kevin Sullivan, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Appili Therapeutics. “She has a broad range of expertise that will support Appili’s paths-to-market for our infectious disease product portfolio, from FDA interactions on streamlined regulatory pathways to translating clinical data and milestones to optimize portfolio value. We are thrilled to have Theresa as a Board member, and look forward to her leadership and experience as we advance our clinical programs.”

In her work at ContraVir, Dr. Matkovits is a member of the executive team and is a key contributor to corporate strategy for value creation for the Company’s clinical portfolios. Prior to serving as COO, Dr. Matkovits served as Executive Vice President, Head of Drug Development, where she was responsible for building and leading all global drug development functional areas for the Company’s infectious disease programs, including Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, Manufacturing, Quality and Program Management. Her experience includes representing the Company and its development programs to external stakeholders and advisors, including investigators, key opinion leaders, global health authorities (including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)), potential business development partners and the investment community. She successfully led negotiations with the FDA for a 505(b)2 streamlined regulatory pathway and an accelerated Phase 2 development pathway for the Company’s anti-viral development programs.

“There is an urgent need for better options in all facets of infectious disease, from vaccines to anti-virals to novel antibiotics,” said Dr. Matkovits. “Appili’s ability to focus on patient and market needs, without being restricted by a particular technology or indication, puts this Company in a unique position to leverage these opportunities, and address a broad range of public health issues. I look forward to supporting Appili’s management team and working with the Company’s other Board members to successfully advance these programs.”

Prior to her tenure at ContraVir, Dr. Matkovits held several leadership positions at NPS Pharmaceuticals, where she led the successful clinical development and approval efforts for the orphan drug Natpara® for the treatment of hypoparathyroidism. She also spent several years as a Vice President and Innovation Leader at The Medicines Company, where she co-led global development and supported commercialization efforts for the Company’s infectious disease franchise. Dr. Matkovits began her career at Novartis, where she held positions of increasing responsibility in its U.S. Medical and Drug Regulatory Affairs and Global Development Divisions, leading a number of high priority development programs for the company. She is a member of the Board of Directors for BioSurplus and Aradigm Corporation. Dr. Matkovits earned her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - New Jersey Medical School.

About Appili Therapeutics

Appili Therapeutics, Inc., was founded to advance the global fight against infectious disease by matching clearly-defined patient needs with drug development programs that provide solutions to existing challenges patients, doctors and society face in this challenging disease space. Balancing near-to-market product candidates with higher-risk but potentially transformative early-stage programs, Appili’s growing pipeline includes assets being developed by Appili as well as an active licensing program. ATI-1501 employs Appili’s proprietary, taste-masked, oral-suspension technology with metronidazole for the growing number of pediatric and elderly patients with difficulty swallowing. ATI-1503 is a drug discovery program aimed at generating negamycin analogue candidates, a novel class of antibiotics with broad-spectrum activity against Gram-negative bacteria. Via an in-licensing program, Appili acquired the rights to ATI-1701, a vaccine for tularemia, removing risk from a weaponized bioterrorism pathogen. Headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with offices in Mississauga, Ontario, Appili is pursuing worldwide opportunities in collaboration with science and industry commercial partners, governments and government agencies. For more information, visit www.AppiliTherapeutics.com.

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