Aridis Pharmaceuticals Appoints Paul-Andre de Lame, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company applying proprietary technologies to produce novel anti-infectives and immunotherapies for infectious diseases, announced today the appointment of Paul-Andre de Lame, M.D., as the Company's Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. de Lame is an intensive care medical physician with strong experience in cardiovascular medicine and infectious diseases. After several years in clinical practice as anesthesiologist and intensive case specialist, he joined Merck where he was charged with furthering the development of major products, including enalapril (Vasotec®/Renitec®) and imipenem-cilastatin (Tienam®/Primaxin®), then joined Warner Lambert- Parke Davis, where he was instrumental to the success of atorvastatin (Lipitor®). Since, Dr. de Lame founded Anabase International Corp., which provides regulatory and clinical research services, and later, was a co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Cardiokine Inc. Dr. de Lame was a key contributor to many product development teams involving several vaccines, antibiotics, and antifungals, leading clinical development teams on behalf of companies ranging from start-ups to top ten pharmaceutical manufacturers. In these roles, he contributed to the success of numerous products, including pharmaceuticals, biologics, stem cells and medical devices, accumulating a vast experience and knowledge in the area of clinical development and the related regulatory strategies.

Vu Truong, Ph.D., founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aridis, stated, "Dr. de Lame is the ideal strategic appointment to meet the demands of our robust pipeline that is currently in clinical testing.  He has lead innovative clinical trials and executed on successful streamlined clinical operations for a number of blockbuster drugs such as Renitec®/Vasotec® and Lipitor^®.  Aridis is delighted to have Dr. de Lame join our management team and leverage his extensive clinical development experience to advance our clinical pipeline toward commercialization."

Dr. de Lame added, "Aridis Pharmaceuticals is well-positioned to be a leader in the anti-infective immunotherapy space, an area of infectious disease treatment which I believe will be important to solving the longstanding challenge associated with antibiotic drug resistance. I'm proud to join the company's successful management team and look forward to aiding Aridis' growth by furthering the development of its pipeline and expanding our assets for the significant medical needs Aridis is addressing."

Dr. de Lame received his medical degree from Universite Catholique de Louvain, with a specialization in anesthesiology and intensive care. Prior to joining industry, Dr. de Lame practiced both specialties and was head of the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) at a private hospital in Brussels, Belgium.

About Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.    
Aridis is a privately held biopharmaceutical company applying proprietary monoclonal antibody discovery technology MabIgX^® and pharmaceutical formulation technologies to produce novel infectious disease focused therapies. Aridis' product pipeline includes AR-101 anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa LPS human monoclonal antibody; AR-301 anti-Staphylococcus aureus human monoclonal antibody to treat acute pneumonia; Aerucin™, a broadly reactive monoclonal antibody against Pseudomonas aeruginosa initially being developed to treat acute pneumonia and cystic fibrosis; AR- 401 anti-Acinetobacter baumannii human monoclonal antibody; and AR-201 anti-RSV human monoclonal antibody. Complementing the company's portfolio of mAbs is Panaecin^TM, a novel broad spectrum anti-infective with activities against bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Forward-Looking Statements    
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements include statements relating to the therapeutic applications of AR-101, AR-301, Panaecin™, Aerucin™, AR-401, AR-201, Aridis' proprietary formulation and delivery technologies, about Aridis' strategy, pre-clinical and clinical programs, and ability to identify and develop drugs, as well as other statements that are not historical facts. Actual events or results may differ materially from Aridis' expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the timing, success and cost of Aridis' research and clinical studies and its ability to obtain additional financing. These forward-looking statements represent Aridis' judgment as of the date of this release. Aridis disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

Tiberend Strategic Advisors, Inc.    
Joshua Drumm, Ph.D. (investors)       
[email protected]     
(212) 375-2664

Andrew Mielach (media)      
[email protected]     
(212) 375-2694

SOURCE Aridis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.