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Akari Therapeutics Appoints Industry Veteran Wa'el Hashad to Board of Directors NEW YORK and LONDON

Key Takeaway: Akari Therapeutics has appointed Wa'el Hashad to its Board of Directors, bringing extensive biopharmaceutical experience. Hashad will serve on both the Audit and Nominating and Governance Committees. His background includes significant leadership roles in companies such as Longeveron and Avanir Pharmaceuticals. Akari is advancing its lead asset, nomacopan, into Phase 3 studies, which may benefit from Hashad's expertise in drug approval and commercialization.

Market Sentiment Analysis

POSITIVE FACTORS

  • Wa'el Hashad brings over 35 years of biopharmaceutical experience to the board.
  • His appointment is expected to strengthen the company's capabilities in drug development.
  • Hashad's previous leadership roles may enhance Akari's strategic direction.
  • The company is advancing nomacopan into critical Phase 3 studies.

Full Press Release Details

Akari Therapeutics Appoints Industry Veteran Wa'el Hashad
to Board of Directors
NEW YORK and LONDON, July 5, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Akari Therapeutics,
Plc (Nasdaq: AKTX), a late-stage biotechnology company developing advanced therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, today announced
the appointment of industry veteran Wa'el Hashad to the Akari Board of Directors as an independent director. Mr. Hashad, who will
serve on both the Audit Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee, brings more than 35 years of biopharmaceutical experience to
Akari's Board of Directors with focus on drug approval and commercialization, mergers and acquisitions, and business development.
am pleased to welcome Wa'el to our Board of Directors" said Ray Prudo, M.D., Akari Chairman. "His extensive experience
in biopharma development will be invaluable as we advance nomacopan into the registrational portion
of Phase 3 studies in pediatric and adult HSCT-TMA and toward clinical trials of PAS-nomacopan in geographic atrophy. His appointment
strengthens the Board's biotech and U.S. capabilities."
is an exciting time for the company, and I look forward to partnering with Board members and management to advance the company's
lead asset toward a potential regulatory filing," said Mr. Hashad.
Mr. Hashad currently serves as CEO of Longeveron, a U.S. clinical-stage
biotechnology company developing regenerative medicines for rare pediatric diseases, aging-related conditions, and unmet medical needs.
Previously, he was President and Chief Executive Officer at Avanir Pharmaceuticals. Avanir was acquired by Otsuka Pharmaceutical, and
Mr. Hashad led the company's full integration into Otsuka's United States operations. Prior to Avanir, Mr. Hashad was Executive
Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer at Seres Therapeutics, where he established the company's launch and marketing strategy
for microbiome-based therapies.
Mr. Hashad has held multiple leadership roles at Amgen, executing on
cardiovascular, neuroscience, metabolic disorder, and nephrology product launches and was the general manager for Africa, the Middle East,
and Asia. He was a Vice President at Boehringer Ingelheim leading the U.S. launch of the company's cardiovascular and metabolic
products. Earlier, Mr. Hashad spent 20 years at Eli Lilly and Company, driving the company's marketing and commercial strategy across
multiple regions and therapeutic areas. He concluded his time at Eli Lilly as the Vice President of the United States Cardiovascular Business
Mr. Hashad holds an M.B.A. in Finance and International Business from
the University of Akron and a B.Sc. in Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Cairo. He held the position of the
Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Board at Morningside Biopharma and is currently a member of the Board of California Life Sciences.
About Akari Therapeutics
Akari Therapeutics, plc (Nasdaq: AKTX) is
a biotechnology company developing advanced therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Akari's lead asset, investigational
nomacopan, is a bispecific recombinant inhibitor of complement C5 activation and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) activity. Akari's pipeline
includes a Phase 3 clinical trial program investigating nomacopan for severe pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant-related thrombotic
microangiopathy (HSCT-TMA). Akari has been granted Orphan Drug, Fast Track and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the FDA for nomacopan
for the treatment of pediatric HSCT-TMA. Akari's pipeline also includes a clinical program developing nomacopan for adult HSCT-TMA
and pre-clinical research of long-acting PAS-nomacopan in geographic atrophy (GA). For more information about Akari, please visit akaritx.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Certain statements in this press release constitute
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking
statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies, and prospects, which are based on the information
currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies, and
prospects as reflected in or suggested by those forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions,
expectations, or strategies will be attained or achieved. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control. Such risks and uncertainties
for our company include, but are not limited to: needs for additional capital to fund our operations, our ability to continue as a going
concern; uncertainties of cash flows and inability to meet working capital needs; an inability or delay in obtaining required regulatory
approvals for nomacopan and any other product candidates, which may result in unexpected cost expenditures; our ability to obtain orphan
drug designation in additional indications; risks inherent in drug development in general; uncertainties in obtaining successful clinical
results for nomacopan and any other product candidates and unexpected costs that may result there; difficulties enrolling patients in
our clinical trials; failure to realize any value of nomacopan and any other product candidates developed and being developed in light
of inherent risks and difficulties involved in successfully bringing product candidates to market; inability to develop new product candidates
and support existing product candidates; the approval by the FDA and EMA and any other similar foreign regulatory authorities of other
competing or superior products brought to market; risks resulting from unforeseen side effects; risk that the market for nomacopan may
not be as large as expected risks associated with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; inability to obtain, maintain and enforce patents
and other intellectual property rights or the unexpected costs associated with such enforcement or litigation; inability to obtain and
maintain commercial manufacturing arrangements with third party manufacturers or establish commercial scale manufacturing capabilities;
the inability to timely source adequate supply of our active pharmaceutical ingredients from third party manufacturers on whom the company
depends; unexpected cost increases and pricing pressures and risks and other risk factors detailed in our public filings with the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Except as otherwise
noted, these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise
any of these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after this press release. We caution investors not to place considerable
reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
For more information

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was appointed to Akari's Board of Directors?

Wa'el Hashad has been appointed as an independent director.

What committees will Wa'el Hashad serve on?

He will serve on the Audit Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee.

What is Akari's lead drug in development?

The lead asset under development is nomacopan, targeting autoimmune diseases.

What designations has nomacopan received from the FDA?

Nomacopan has received Orphan Drug, Fast Track, and Rare Pediatric Disease designations.

What company is Wa'el Hashad currently CEO of?

He is currently the CEO of Longeveron, a biotechnology company.

Last updated: Jul 5, 2023