Samir R. Patel, M.D. Appointed Interim CEO for Akari Therapeutics - Seite 2

He has more than 20 years of experience in life sciences including co-founding Digital Therapeutics, LLC, a startup advancing a therapy for scleroderma and other rheumatic diseases, and SPEC Pharma, LLC, a company that develops and manufactures injectables used in rheumatology applications. Previously, Dr. Patel held multiple roles in Medical Affairs with Centocor, Inc. (now Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, part of Johnson & Johnson). He holds multiple patents, has been an author on several publications and has been an investigator in numerous clinical research studies. He has served on the boards of several public companies, including Rezolute Bio.

Dr. Patel received his medical degree from the Medical College of Ohio and completed his internal medicine internship, residency, and rheumatology fellowship at The University of New Mexico School of Medicine Affiliated Hospitals.

About the Merger

On March 5, 2024, Akari and Peak Bio announced a definitive agreement to merge as equals in an all-stock transaction. The combined entity will operate as Akari Therapeutics, Plc, which is expected to continue to be listed and trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market as AKTX. Under the terms of the agreement, Peak stockholders will receive a number of Akari ordinary shares (represented by American Depositary Shares) for each share of Peak stock they own, as determined on the basis of the exchange ratio described in the agreement. The exchange is expected to result in implied equity ownership in the combined company of approximately 50% for Akari shareholders and approximately 50% for Peak stockholders on a fully diluted basis, subject to adjustment under certain circumstances, including based on each party’s relative level of net cash at the closing of the proposed transaction. The transaction is expected to close by the third quarter of this year subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including approval by the shareholders of both companies.

About Akari Therapeutics

Akari Therapeutics, plc (Nasdaq: AKTX) is a biotechnology company developing advanced therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Akari’s lead asset, investigational nomacopan, is a bispecific recombinant inhibitor of complement C5 activation and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) activity. The company is conducting pre-clinical research of long-acting PAS-nomacopan in geographic atrophy (GA). For more information about Akari, please visit akaritx.com.