PRTC Appoints Biotech Analyst & Senior Exec as CFO

5 January 2021

PureTech Health plc

PureTech Announces the Appointment of George Farmer, Ph.D., as Chief Financial Officer 

Experienced financial analyst and biotech executive added to PureTech's strong leadership team

PureTech Health plc (LSE: PRTC, NASDAQ: PRTC) ("PureTech" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing highly differentiated medicines for devastating diseases, today announced that George Farmer, Ph.D., has been appointed Chief Financial Officer.

"We are delighted to welcome George to the senior leadership team as we are poised to build on the momentum of the past year," said Daphne Zohar, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PureTech. "This is an important moment for PureTech, as we recently initiated three clinical trials based on programs from our Wholly Owned Pipeline and expanded our presence with the NASDAQ Global Market listing. We believe that George's depth of experience will be very helpful as we share the PureTech story with a broader community of investors."

As a key member of PureTech's senior leadership team, Dr. Farmer will be responsible for all aspects of the Company's finances, including capital markets strategy and execution, strategic and financial planning, and financial reporting.

Dr. Farmer joins PureTech from BMO Capital Markets where he completed a 15-year career as a senior biotechnology equity analyst providing in-depth sector research for institutional investor clients. Prior to this role, Dr. Farmer served as Chief Executive Officer of Cortice Biosciences, a privately held biotechnology company focused on the clinical development of therapies for brain malignancies and neurodegenerative diseases. He also served as Vice President of Corporate Development at Synta Pharmaceuticals, a publicly traded company developing cancer therapeutics. Dr. Farmer was a postdoctoral fellow at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and University of California San Francisco after receiving his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Columbia University and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.

"PureTech has built a leadership position in the science of the brain-immune-gut axis, which has led to the discovery and development of novel medicines.  I am particularly intrigued by the potential of LYT-100 for treating multiple fibrotic diseases and LYT-200 as a potential new cancer immunotherapeutic.  Just as impressive is the track record of management, which has developed a deep therapeutic pipeline both internally and through the Company's Founded Entities," Dr. Farmer said. "I am very excited to become a member of the PureTech team."

About PureTech Health

PureTech is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing highly differentiated medicines for devastating diseases, including intractable cancers, lymphatic and gastrointestinal diseases, central nervous system disorders and inflammatory and immunological diseases, among others. The Company has created a broad and deep pipeline through the expertise of its experienced research and development team and its extensive network of scientists, clinicians and industry leaders. This pipeline, which is being advanced both internally and through PureTech's Founded Entities, as of the date of PureTech's most recently filed Registration Statement on Form 20-F, was comprised of 24 products and product candidates, including two that have received FDA clearance and European marketing authorization. All of the underlying programs and platforms that resulted in this pipeline of product candidates were initially identified or discovered and then advanced by the PureTech team through key validation points based on the Company's unique insights into the biology of the brain, immune and gut, or BIG, systems and the interface between those systems, referred to as the BIG Axis.

For more information, visit www.puretechhealth.com or connect with us on Twitter @puretechh.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are or may be forward-looking statements, including statements that relate to the company's future prospects, developments, and strategies. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ materially from current expectations, including, but not limited to, our expectations regarding the potential therapeutic benefits of our product candidates, our expectations regarding the appointment of our new Chief Financial Officer and those risks and uncertainties described in the risk factors included in the regulatory filings for PureTech Health plc. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions regarding the present and future business strategies of the company and the environment in which it will operate in the future. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as at the date of this press release. Except as required by law and regulatory requirements, neither the company nor any other party intends to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.