SIGA Announces Appointment of Diem Nguyen, Ph.D., MBA, as New Chief Executive Officer

NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SIGA Technologies, Inc. (SIGA) (NASDAQ: SIGA), a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the health security market, today announced that Diem Nguyen, Ph.D., will join the Company as chief executive officer (CEO), effective January 27, 2024, and will also be appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors. SIGA’s current CEO, Dr. Phil Gomez, will retire from SIGA on January 26, 2024.

“The appointment of Diem Nguyen as our new CEO marks a significant milestone for SIGA as we continue to expand our partnerships with governments across the world in global health security initiatives and medical countermeasure preparedness,” said Joseph (Chip) Marshall, chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors. “Diem’s scientific expertise and proven leadership in driving commercial strategies and managing diverse portfolios makes her a strong addition to the SIGA team as the company plans for many important milestones and additional global business development in the years ahead.”

As CEO, Dr. Nguyen will lead SIGA’s ongoing efforts in the development, manufacture and global distribution of antiviral therapies for the treatment of infectious diseases including smallpox, mpox, and other diseases associated with orthopox viruses. Additionally, she will represent SIGA in engagements with government partners in the U.S. and internationally, playing a pivotal role in securing new contracts and partnerships.

“I am very pleased to join SIGA to help support the advancement of critical global health solutions including TPOXX for treatment of orthopox diseases such as mpox,” said Dr. Nguyen. “SIGA’s unwavering commitment to developing antiviral therapies for infectious diseases and other global health threats aligns strongly with my professional interests in addressing significant areas of global risk and unmet needs in healthcare. I look forward to working with the team as we advance SIGA’s mission of ensuring the availability of essential therapies worldwide.”

Dr. Nguyen joins SIGA from Xalud Therapeutics, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing treatments for inflammatory diseases, including pain associated with osteoarthritis, and neurodegenerative diseases, where she served as CEO. Prior to Xalud, Dr. Nguyen served as executive vice president of biopharma at PPD Inc., a leading global clinical research organization providing integrated drug development services. From 2009-2018, she served in several roles at Pfizer including global president, Americas, Pfizer Essential Health, where she was responsible for diverse commercial businesses in the U.S., Latin America, Canada, and Puerto Rico representing more than $11 billion in annual revenue. She earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Virginia, as well as an M.B.A. from Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.