ERYTECH Appoints Stewart Craig as Chief Technical Officer

LYON, France and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ERYTECH Pharma (Nasdaq & Euronext: ERYP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies by encapsulating therapeutic drug substances inside red blood cells, announced the appointment of Dr. Stewart Craig as its Chief Technical Officer (CTO) and member of the executive team. Dr. Craig brings 35 years of experience in the development, manufacturing, technical operations, quality systems and regulatory affairs for complex biologics and cell & gene therapies worldwide.

"We are delighted to officially welcome Stewart to the ERYTECH team in his new role as CTO after working with the Company on a consultancy basis for the past year. It is paramount that we have such a seasoned leader driving our technology forward at this exciting juncture for the company,” said Gil Beyen, CEO of ERYTECH. "With our lead product candidate eryaspase nearing completion of two potentially pivotal clinical trials, Stewart’s extensive knowledge and first-hand experience in advancing the manufacturing and supply chain operations of complex therapeutics to commercial scale will be an invaluable asset in ensuring helping us achieve our global operational readiness.”

For the past 25 years, Dr. Craig has held executive level positions designing, implementing and operating the CMC and GMP manufacturing infrastructure for various pioneering cell and gene therapy companies, including as Chief Manufacturing Officer of Orchard Therapeutics, SVP Technical Operations of Sangamo, EVP Manufacturing & Regulatory at Stemcells Inc., Chief Technology Officer at PCT Cell Therapy Services and Chief Operating Officer at Xcyte Therapies. Stewart also has extensive experience in the successful management of regulatory affairs for cell and gene therapy submissions in the US, Canada and Europe.

Stewart holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Physical Biochemistry from Newcastle University (U.K.). He is based in the United States, where he has been located since 1994.

"With a transformative platform technology and three candidates in late stage clinical trials ongoing, ERYTECH is a leader in red blood cell-based cancer therapy,” stated Dr. Craig. "I’m thrilled to join ERYTECH’s management at this important stage of development. To be a part of this leadership team and accelerate the company’s programs to a commercially successful operation, is a sincere honor, having spent the last 12 months with the team and the technology”.

About ERYTECH

ERYTECH is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative red blood cell-based therapeutics for severe forms of cancer and orphan diseases. Leveraging its proprietary ERYCAPS® platform, which uses a novel technology to encapsulate drug substances inside red blood cells, ERYTECH is developing a pipeline of product candidates for patients with high unmet medical needs. ERYTECH’s primary focus is on the development of product candidates that target the altered metabolism of cancer cells by depriving them of amino acids necessary for their growth and survival.

The Company’s lead product candidate, eryaspase, which consists of L-asparaginase encapsulated inside donor-derived red blood cells, targets the cancer cells’ altered asparagine and glutamine metabolism. Eryaspase is in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of second-line pancreatic cancer and in Phase 2 for the treatment of first-line triple-negative breast cancer. An investigator-sponsored Phase 2 study in acute lymphoblastic leukemia is ongoing in the Nordic countries of Europe.

ERYTECH produces its product candidates for treatment of patients in Europe at its GMP-approved manufacturing site in Lyon, France, and for patients in the United States at its GMP manufacturing site in Princeton, New Jersey, USA.

ERYTECH is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market in the United States (ticker: ERYP) and on the Euronext regulated market in Paris (ISIN code: FR0011471135, ticker: ERYP). ERYTECH is part of the CAC Healthcare, CAC Pharma & Bio, CAC Mid & Small, CAC All Tradable, EnterNext PEA-PME 150 and Next Biotech indexes.        

For more information, please visit www.erytech.com        

Forward-looking information

This press release contains forward-looking statements including but not limited to statements with respect to the clinical development plans for the Company’s product candidates and their commercial prospects. Certain of these statements, forecasts and estimates can be recognized by the use of words such as, without limitation, "believes”, "anticipates”, "expects”, "intends”,"plans”, "seeks”, "estimates”, "may”, "will” and "continue” and similar expressions. Such statements, forecasts and estimates are based on various assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable when made but may or may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict and may depend upon factors that are beyond ERYTECH's control. There can be no guarantees with respect to pipeline product candidates that the candidates will receive the necessary regulatory approvals or that they will prove to be commercially successful. Therefore, actual results and timeline may turn out to be materially different from the anticipated future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements, forecasts and estimates. Further description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in the Company’s regulatory filings with the French Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), the Company’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings and reports, including in the Company’s 2019 Document d’Enregistrement Universel filed with the AMF on March 18, 2020, in the half-year report for the six-month period ended June 30, 2020 published on September 21, 2020 and in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 18, 2020 and future filings and reports by the Company. Given these uncertainties, no representations are made as to the accuracy or fairness of such forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates. Furthermore, forward-looking statements, forecasts and estimates only speak as of the date of this press release. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. ERYTECH disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statement, forecast or estimates to reflect any change in ERYTECH’s expectations with regard thereto, or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement, forecast or estimate is based, except to the extent required by law. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated containment efforts have had a serious adverse impact on the economy, the severity and duration of which are uncertain. Government stabilization efforts will only partially mitigate the consequences. The extent and duration of the impact on the Company’s business and operations is highly uncertain, and that impact includes effects on its clinical trial operations and supply chain. Factors that will influence the impact on the Company’s business and operations include the duration and extent of the pandemic, the extent of imposed or recommended containment and mitigation measures, and the general economic consequences of the pandemic. The pandemic could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, operations and financial results for an extended period of time.

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