Faron Appoints Dr. Birge Berns, MD as Interim Chief Medical Officer

• Dr. Marie-Louise Fjällskog, outgoing CMO, is proposed to continue key role in bexmarilimab’s development as a Board member

Company announcement, September 21, 2023

TURKU, Finland and BOSTON, Sept. 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Faron Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (AIM: FARN, First North: FARON), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on tackling cancers via novel immunotherapies, today announces the appointment of Dr. Birge Berns, MD, as the Company’s interim Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. Berns will be based in the UK and her appointment is effective starting September 22, 2023.

Dr. Berns succeeds Dr. Marie-Louise Fjällskog, who is stepping down from her current CMO role at Faron. The Board of Directors have proposed to the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Company convened for tomorrow, Friday, September 22, 2023, that Dr. Fjällskog would be nominated to the Company’s Board of Directors in a Non-Executive Director role. In this new role as a Non-Executive Director, Dr. Fjällskog would continue to play an integral role in the development of Faron’s wholly owned immunotherapy asset, bexmarilimab, providing her clinical and regulatory expertise to support the Company’s progress.

Dr. Berns is a seasoned senior pharmaceuticals executive with a background in oncology, clinical medicine, rheumatology and immunology. She brings more than 25 years’ experience from senior leadership roles in global pharmaceutical companies, including Sanofi Aventis and Johnson & Johnson.

“I am delighted to welcome Birge to Faron as the interim Chief Medical Officer as we progress our ambitious clinical development program for bexmarilimab," said Dr. Markku Jalkanen, Chief Executive Officer of Faron. "With her extensive experience in oncology clinical development, her business acumen and broad scientific and medical knowledge, she is exceptionally well qualified to advance our plans and progress development of what we hope will be the first macrophage-targeting immunotherapy for patients with aggressive hematological malignancies.

“I am also very pleased that Faron will continue to benefit from the support of Marie-Louise, in her proposed new role as the Board member and would like to thank her for her great contributions to this Company’s progress, during her time as Chief Medical Officer."

While at Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Berns established and led the European clinical hemato-oncology group for Centocor, the J&J Immunology group, devising early development strategies for biological molecules in a wide range of oncology indications, and writing the supporting clinical and regulatory documents. She maintains close ties with the Institute of Cancer Research/Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK where she obtained her Master's degree in Oncology and continues to teach on this course.