LianBio Appoints Dr. Yizhe Wang as Chief Executive Officer

Shanghai and Princeton, New Jersey, May 10, 2021 – LianTuo Bio, a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to bringing transformative medicines to patients in China and key Asian markets, today announced the appointment of Dr. Yi Zhe Wang as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Company’s Board of Directors, effective May 17, 2021.

“Yi Zhe is a leader with exceptional strategic vision, boasting decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industries across Europe, the United States, and China, with profound expertise in the research and development, market launch, and product lifecycle management of innovative drugs.”Mr. Konstantin Poukalov, Managing Director of Perceptive Advisors and Executive Chairman of LianTuo Biostated, “Leveraging Anji’s recognized leadership in bringing late-stage R&D products to the Chinese market, LianTuo Biopharma is well-positioned to embrace the next phase of the company’s growth. We will continue to advance our product pipeline while collaborating with leading global biopharmaceutical companies to help them expand into China and other key Asian markets.”

Throughout Dr. Wang Yizhe’s executive career at pharmaceutical companies in China and the United States, he has participated in establishing and managing multiple high-growth business units and played a pivotal role in the research and development, regulatory approval, and commercialization of more than 25 innovative drugs. Leveraging his commercial, R&D, and strategic leadership experience gained at two industry giants, Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline, he will help LianTuo Bio accelerate drug development and execute new drug launches.

Dr. Wang Yizhestated, “It is an honor for me to join LianTuo Biopharma and help the company enhance its novel pathways for the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative medicines in the region. As LianTuo Biopharma continues to advance a portfolio of world-class programs in therapeutic areas, I look forward to collaborating with the founding team to address the healthcare needs of patients in China and across Asia.”

Prior to joining LianTuo Bio, Dr. Wang Yizhe served at Eli Lilly and Company as the Global Head of R&D for Oncology Products. In 2020, Dr. Wang served as the Global Platform Lead for the Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Therapeutics Project at Lilly Research Laboratories, where he managed a novel operational model integrating discovery, R&D, and product commercialization, contributing to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for Lilly’s COVID-19 antibody drug, bamlanivimab. Previously, Dr. Wang served as Senior Vice President of Eli Lilly China and Head of the Cross-Biotherapeutics and Oncology Business Unit. He was also a member of the Eli Lilly China Management Committee, the Global Cross-Biotherapeutics Leadership Team, and the Global Oncology Leadership Team. In this role, he led an organization of 1,000 employees, achieved double-digit sales growth, and launched multiple new products, including Tyvyt (sintilimab), Elunate (ramucirumab), Taltz (ixekizumab), and Olumiant (baricitinib). Before joining Eli Lilly, Dr. Wang spent 15 years at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), holding product and commercial strategy roles in the United States (2003–2012), the United Kingdom (2012–2014), and China (2014–2018), where he steadily advanced to senior leadership positions, ultimately serving as the Head of Respiratory Business for GSK China. Early in his career, Dr. Wang worked as a researcher at Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Dr. Wang Yizhe holds a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Yale University, an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. in Chemistry from Ramapo College of New Jersey.

LianBio’s mission is to deliver optimal science-driven breakthrough therapies to patients in China and other major Asian markets through efficient product development, enabled by strategic partnerships with leading global biopharmaceutical companies. By collaborating with world-class partners across diverse therapeutic areas and geographies, LianBio has built a disease-relevant product pipeline that leverages translational mechanisms and precision therapies to improve patient outcomes.