Pheon Therapeutics Expands Board with Appointment of Dr. Enoch Kariuki

Dr. Kariuki brings a wealth of experience in ADCs, across corporate strategy, finance and operations

Advancement of Pheon’s differentiated ADC pipeline, accelerating first program, PHN-010, into clinical development this year

London UK, 10 September 2024 – Pheon Therapeutics (Pheon), a leading Antibody-Drug Conjugate (ADC) specialist developing next generation ADCs for a wide range of hard-to-treat cancers, today announces the appointment of accomplished biotech executive, Enoch Kariuki, Pharm.D., to its Board of Directors as an independent, non-executive director.

Dr. Kariuki possesses extensive strategic, operational, and financial life sciences experience. He most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Lengo Therapeutics, which was acquired by Blueprint Medicines. Prior to Lengo Therapeutics, he served as the Chief Financial Officer of VelosBio, which was acquired by Merck, where he led all finance-related and investor relations functions. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President, Corporate Development at Synthorx, which was acquired by Sanofi. In addition, Dr. Kariuki previously served as Board Director and Audit Chair of Imago Biosciences which was acquired by Merck, and ProfoundBio which was acquired by Genmab.

Cyrus Mozayeni, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Pheon, said: “Dr. Kariuki joins Pheon at a pivotal stage of growth, as we advance into clinical development with PHN-010, our lead ADC program targeting patients with advanced solid tumors. His decision to join Pheon’s board reflects his belief in our innovative pipeline and our team’s track record in targeted oncology therapies and ADCs. Dr. Kariuki brings a wealth of executive leadership experience and knowledge in ADCs, which further strengthens our board as we transition into a clinical stage company and beyond.”

Dr. Kariuki’s appointment follows the completion of a $120m Series B financing round earlier this year to advance Pheon’s three first-in-class ADC assets through clinical proof of concept. The company’s first program, PHN-010, will enter Phase 1 clinical trials in 2024, targeting an undisclosed novel target which is overexpressed in a wide range of solid tumors.

Enoch Kariuki, Pharm.D., newly appointed Board Member of Pheon, commented: “There have been tremendous advances in the evolving field of ADCs and through my previous experience in advising and investing in life sciences companies, I have become familiar with Pheon’s innovative work. I am excited to contribute to Pheon’s development of next generation ADCs and to help advance these transformative therapies for the benefit of patients in need.”

Dr. Kariuki currently serves on the board of Zentalis Pharmaceuticals and is President of Endeavor BioMedicines. Earlier in his career, Dr. Kariuki was Vice President at H.I.G. Capital, a private equity firm managing over $60 billion in assets, where he invested in and served on the boards of multiple life sciences companies. His other previous positions include Senior Associate at Leerink Partners and Associate Director at UBS Investment Bank, where he advised healthcare companies on equity capital financings, mergers and acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, and recapitalizations.

Dr. Kariuki completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in R&D Strategy and Analytics at Bristol-Myers Squibb and was a Pharmacist at CVS Caremark. He holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a PharmD from Texas Southern University.