Heidelberg Pharma Appoints Dr. Jeffery Liu as New CEO in Leadership Shakeup

Heidelberg Pharma AG, a clinical stage biotech company based in Ladenburg, Germany, has undergone a significant leadership transformation with the immediate revocation of Professor Andreas Pahl's appointment as Executive Management Board member and CEO. In a dramatic corporate shift, the Supervisory Board has instead appointed Dr. Dongzhou Jeffery Liu as Chairman of the Executive Management Board and new Chief Executive Officer. This leadership change represents a strategic pivot for the company as it advances its innovative Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) technology platform. Dr. Karl Benedikt Biesinger, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, acknowledged Professor Pahl's contributions in developing the company's unique Amanitin-based ADC technology and the lead clinical stage project HDP-101, while expressing confidence in Dr. Liu's ability to strengthen Heidelberg Pharma's profile.

The transition involves complex corporate governance arrangements, with Dr. Liu stepping down from his Supervisory Board position effective December 23, 2025, and his permanent CEO appointment becoming effective December 24, 2025. During the interim period, he will serve as a deputy member to the Executive Management Board under German corporate law. Dr. Liu brings substantial pharmaceutical industry expertise to the role, currently serving as Chief Scientific Officer and President of Huadong Global Development at Huadong Medicine in China, with previous leadership positions at major pharmaceutical companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Wyeth (now Pfizer), and Forest Labs (now AbbVie). His more than 25 years of experience encompasses clinical and preclinical research & development of medicinal products, including ADC products, positioning him well to lead Heidelberg Pharma's next growth phase.

Heidelberg Pharma's core technology represents a groundbreaking approach in oncology treatment, being the first company to utilize Amanitin from the green death cap mushroom in cancer therapy. The company's ATAC technology platform combines the specificity of antibodies with the efficacy of toxins to create targeted cancer treatments. The lead candidate HDP-101 (pamlectabart tismanitin) is a BCMA ATAC in clinical development for multiple myeloma and has received both Orphan Drug Designation and Fast Track Designation from the FDA. Additional pipeline assets include HDP-102 for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, HDP-103 for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, and HDP-104 targeting gastrointestinal tumors. Dr. Liu expressed enthusiasm about joining the company, noting his confidence in the ATAC technology's potential based on recent clinical data with HDP-101 and his commitment to leading the company toward developing a new generation of ADC products. The original release can be viewed on www.newmediawire.com, providing additional context about this significant corporate development.