Propel Bio Partners Highlights Progress of EIT Pharma Under Leadership of CEO Dr. Leen Kawas

Biotech entrepreneur and Propel Bio Partners co-founder helps advance EIT Pharma's late-stage infectious disease pipeline

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Propel Bio Partners LP ("Propel"), an equity investment firm, today announced the continued progress of EIT Pharma, Inc. ("EIT Pharma" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapies for infectious diseases that commenced operations in January 2025.

Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Dr. Leen Kawas, EIT Pharma is advancing Lonafarnib, its late-stage investigational first-in-class oral therapy for chronic hepatitis D (CHD), and Lambda, its Phase 2 investigational treatment for severe acute viral respiratory infections. FDA recently accepted Lonafarnib's New Drug Application which follows Lonafarnib completing its D-LIVR study, the largest clinical trial conducted to date in chronic hepatitis D, which enrolled more than 400 participants across 21 countries.

EIT Pharma is dedicated to delivering life-changing therapies for patients with significant unmet medical needs. Guided by Dr. Kawas, the EIT Pharma team takes a patient-centric approach to advancing more accessible treatment options for serious infectious diseases. 

"I'm honored to lead EIT Pharma during this pivotal moment for the Company. The people living with chronic hepatitis D have far too few treatment options and no patient should be left behind," said Dr. Kawas. "EIT Pharma's programs sit exactly where I believe this industry should focus: where the unmet need is high, the innovation is relentless, the science is rigorous and the potential patient impact is meaningful. It is our mission to progress these therapies toward the patients waiting for them."

"Dr. Leen Kawas is a visionary entrepreneur with a rare blend of drive, scientific insight and proven business acumen. Her experience building a company from the ground up and carrying it through the full arc of drug development makes her the ideal person to advance EIT Pharma's mission to deliver life-changing therapies to people impacted by significant unmet medical needs," said Dr. Jeffrey Glenn, co-founder of EIT Pharma and Joseph D. Grant Professor and Professor of Medicine and Microbiology & Immunology at Stanford University. "We have great confidence in what Dr. Kawas and the entire EIT Pharma team will accomplish."

About Dr. Leen Kawas

Dr. Kawas is an experienced biotech executive and entrepreneur with significant expertise in drug discovery, operations, clinical trial methodologies, regulatory frameworks and financing. She brings more than a decade of biotechnology leadership experience. In 2022, she co-founded Propel Bio Partners, a global venture fund focusing on life sciences investments, with Richard Kayne, and continues to serve as managing general partner. Dr. Kawas previously served as chief executive of a biopharmaceutical company focused on neurodegenerative diseases, where she advanced multiple late-stage clinical programs and led the company through a September 2020 initial public offering that raised more than $400 million. Dr. Kawas holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Washington State University and a pharmacy degree from the University of Jordan and serves on the boards of Inherent Biosciences and Persephone Biosciences.

About Propel Bio Partners

Propel Bio Partners LP is a Los Angeles- and Seattle-based global equity investment firm focused on helping entrepreneurial life science companies advance groundbreaking technologies and therapies that improve human health. In addition to a financial commitment, the Firm provides its portfolio companies access to its ecosystem of medical experts, operational advisors and best-in-class service providers. For more information about Propel, visit www.propelbio.com.

This statement provides information to life science companies focused on changing the standard of care and improving quality of life. No offer to acquire securities and no offer of investment advisory services or securities of Propel or any product is made with this statement.

About EIT Pharma

EIT Pharma is a biotechnology company focused on advancing therapies for infectious diseases with significant unmet medical needs. The Company is developing a portfolio of programs designed to address serious infectious diseases through rigorous science, disciplined execution, and a patient-centered approach focused on translating scientific innovation into meaningful real-world impact for patients.

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SOURCE Propel Bio Partners