- George Garibaldi and Paolo Zocchi proposed as new independent, non-executive Board members
- Patrick Langlois and Luca Benatti to step down after long-standing service
- Full Annual General Meeting agenda to be published on March 24, 2026
MILAN & MORRISTOWN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--$NWRN #schizophrenia--Newron Pharmaceuticals S.p.A. (“Newron”) (SIX: NWRN, XETRA: NP5), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system, today announced that Patrick Langlois and Luca Benatti, who have served on the Board of Directors for many years, will not be standing for re-election at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) of shareholders on April 23, 2026. Two highly experienced industry and financial experts, George Garibaldi and Paolo Zocchi, are proposed for election to Newron’s Board as independent and non-executive directors.
Chris Martin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Newron, commented on the resigning Board members: “We are hugely grateful to Patrick Langlois and Luca Benatti. Patrick has been a Board member of Newron for a total of 18 years, helping the Company to navigate some challenging times as well as some of our greatest successes. We have benefited greatly from his extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, as well as his commitment to creating an enabling working environment. Having been a founder of Newron and its first CEO, Luca was instrumental in the development of our Parkinson’s disease treatment, Xadago®. He has served as non-executive Board member for 14 years. We wish them well for the future.”
On the proposed new Board members, Chris Martin said: “We are delighted to propose two new, highly qualified candidates to shareholders as independent and non-executive members of the Board of Directors. George Garibaldi brings more than 30 years of leadership in CNS drug development across the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, while Paolo Zocchi has more than 35 years of significant expertise in capital markets transactions and complex international operations. George and Paolo’s deep experience will complement the Board’s existing expertise, and we look forward to benefiting from their actionable insights and advice.”
Stefan Weber, CEO of Newron, added: “On behalf of Newron’s management team, I would also like to express our sincere thanks to Patrick and Luca for their many years of expert, constructive, fruitful and successful collaboration. We welcome the appointment of George and Paolo and look forward to working with them both.”
The complete list of agenda items for Newron's AGM 2026 will be published on March 24, 2026, together with the 2025 Full-Year results and the 2026 Outlook. All documents connected with the agenda, as per applicable laws and regulations, as well as information on how to register and attend the AGM, will be made available on the Company’s website (www.newron.com/investors/shareholders-meeting) on the same day.
About George Garibaldi
- Dr. George Garibaldi is proposed to join Newron as an independent, non-executive member of the Board of Directors with more than 30 years of leadership in CNS drug development across the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. He most recently co‑founded StutterSenseAI Therapeutics, focused on medicines for neurodevelopmental and speech disorders, and serves as Chief Medical Officer at Synendos Therapeutics.
- Previously, he co‑founded Noema Pharma, a biotech developing therapies for rare diseases, and led teams at Hoffmann‑La Roche, Janssen, and Novartis that advanced breakthrough treatments, including first approvals in primary progressive multiple sclerosis, schizoaffective disorder, and autism spectrum disorders.
- Dr Garibaldi earned his MB BCh (MD) from Cairo University’s Faculty of Medicine (Egypt), completed residency training in Child and General Psychiatry at the René Descartes Medical School, pursued statistics and mathematical modeling at the University of Kremlin‑Bicêtre, and specialized in Neuropsychopharmacology at the Pitié Salpêtrière (all in Paris, France).
- He is Co‑Founder and Past President of the International Society for Central Nervous System Clinical Trials and Methodology (ISCTM), former Chairman of the International Society for CNS Drug Development (ISCDD), and a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP). He has received multiple honors, including the ISCDD Award for Innovation, has served on the Board of Directors of MedDay Pharmaceuticals and Retrotope Therapeutics, and is currently member of the Scientific Advisory Board of BioHarvest Sciences, a NASDAQ‑listed company and on the Advisory Committee of Redbird Research; he is American.
About Paolo Zocchi
- Paolo Zocchi is proposed to join Newron as an independent, non-executive member of the Board of Directors. He is a former International Senior Partner at Ernst & Young (EY), where he served for more than 35 years in senior leadership roles at both the Italian and EMEIA levels, including Mediterranean Growth Markets Leader and Markets Clients Leader. He has extensive experience in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sectors, having audited and advised companies including Sanofi, Bayer, Neogen, Pierrel, Gentium, Madaus, and Mediolanum Farmaceutici, as well as several early-stage biotech companies backed by Rottapharm Biotech.
- Paolo has significant expertise in capital markets transactions and complex international operations. During his career, he coordinated more than 15 IPOs across Italy, the United States and Europe, as well as international bond issuances, M&A transactions, cross-border acquisitions, and joint ventures, supporting companies in raising more than $3 billion on global capital markets.
- He founded EY’s Center of Excellence for Family Business in collaboration with Bocconi University in Milan (Italy) in the early 2000s. In 2025, he established PZConsulting, where he advises companies and shareholders on transformation, international expansion, and sustainable growth, while also serving as a board member and statutory auditor for numerous private companies.
- Paolo holds a degree in Economics from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan (Italy). He is a member of the Italian Register of Statutory Auditors and the Italian Register of CSRD professionals; he holds Italian and Swiss citizenship.
About Newron Pharmaceuticals
Newron (SIX: NWRN, XETRA: NP5) is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative therapies for patients with diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. Headquartered in Bresso near Milan, Italy, the Company has a strong track record of advancing neuroscience-based treatments from discovery to market. Newron’s lead compound, evenamide, is a first-in-class glutamate modulator and has the potential to be the first add-on therapy for treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) and for poorly responding patients with schizophrenia. Evenamide is currently developed in the global pivotal ENIGMA-TRS Phase III development program. Clinical trial results to date demonstrate the benefits of this drug candidate in the TRS as well as poorly responding patient population, with significant improvements across key efficacy measures increasing over time, as well as a favorable safety profile, which is uncommon for available antipsychotic medications. Newron has signed development and commercialization agreements for evenamide with EA Pharma (a subsidiary of Eisai) for Japan and other Asian territories, as well as Myung In Pharm for South Korea. Newron’s first marketed product, Xadago®/safinamide has received marketing authorization for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease in the European Union, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, Australia, Canada, Latin America, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Japan and South Korea. The product is commercialized by Newron’s partner Zambon, with Supernus Pharmaceuticals holding marketing rights in the U.S., and Meiji Seika responsible for development and commercialization in Japan and other key Asian territories. For more information, please visit: www.newron.com
Contacts
For more information, please contact:
Newron
Stefan Weber – CEO; +39 02 6103 46 26, pr@newron.com
UK/Europe
Simon Conway / Ciara Martin / Natalie Garland-Collins, FTI Consulting; +44 20 3727 1000, SCnewron@fticonsulting.com
Switzerland
Valentin Handschin, IRF; +41 43 244 81 54, handschin@irf-reputation.ch
Germany/Europe
Anne Hennecke / Maximilian Schur, MC Services; +49 211 52925227, newron@mc-services.eu
USA
Paul Sagan, LaVoieHealthScience; +1 617 865 0041, psagan@lavoiehealthscience.com
