SHENZHEN, CHINA and ROCKVILLE, MD, July 02, 2019 — HighTide Therapeutics Inc. (“HighTide”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Adrian M. Di Bisceglie, M.D., has been appointed as Chief Medical Officer. In this new role, Dr. Di Bisceglie will lead clinical development of HighTide’s novel therapies. Dr. Di Bisceglie will join the executive team and report to Dr. Liping Liu, Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Scientific Officer of HighTide.

“I am delighted to welcome Adrian to our management team,” said Liping Liu, Ph.D., Founder, CEO & CSO of HighTide. “We anticipate many exciting data readouts in the coming months and Adrian’s clinical expertise and leadership will help guide the development of our lead candidate, HTD1801, in NASH and PSC, as well as advancing the rest of our pipeline.”

“HighTide’s portfolio of novel compounds represent hope for patients with diseases of the digestive system,” said Dr. Di Bisceglie. “I am looking forward to working closely with the management team to deliver these innovative medicines to patients worldwide who seek solutions for their chronic conditions.”

Dr. Di Bisceglie is board-certified in internal medicine, gastroenterology and transplant hepatology. A thought leader in hepatology, Dr. Di Bisceglie has authored over 400 publications. He is the past president (2014) and governing board member (2010-2015) of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD). Dr. Di Bisceglie has served as a member of the editorial board of the AASLD journal “Hepatology”. Additionally, he has served as an advisor and committee member with the US FDA, CDC, and NIH. Most recently Dr. Di Bisceglie served as Professor of Internal Medicine and Chief of Hepatology, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Saint Louis University. He also served as Chairman, Department of Internal Medicine at Saint Louis University from 2006 to 2017. In this academic and business leadership capacity, he oversaw an organization with 600 employees and managed a clinical and research budget of over $100M annually.

Dr. Di Bisceglie received his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB BCh), and Master of Medicine in Internal Medicine (M. Med) from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

About HighTide Therapeutics and HTD1801

HighTide Therapeutics Inc., founded in 2011 in Shenzhen, China, is dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics for people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases and metabolic disorders with large and unsatisfied market needs. For additional information, please visit https://hightidetx.com/.

HTD1801, HighTide’s lead program, is a new molecular entity being developed for the treatment of NASH and PSC. HTD1801 has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration Fast Track designation for both NASH and PSC, and FDA Orphan Drug designation for PSC. HTD1801 is currently in Phase 2 proof of concept trials for NASH and PSC in the U.S.

About NASH

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a chronic, complex liver disease characterized by hepatitis – inflammation of the liver – and liver cell damage, which can lead to fibrosis of the liver. NASH can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Prevalence of NASH is on the rise and it may soon surpass hepatitis C as a cause for liver transplant. Currently, there are no approved therapies for NASH.

About PSC

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic, progressive liver disease characterized by inflammation and fibrosis of the bile ducts, leading to the formation of multifocal bile duct strictures. This cholestatic disease deteriorates to fibrosis, cirrhosis and ultimately liver failure, with an increased risk of malignancy. Currently, there are no approved therapies for PSC.

Contact:

Jeffrey Dao

ir@hightidetx.com