Dr. Hardean Achneck Joins Aligos Therapeutics As New Chief Medical Officer

Aligos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGS), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to advancing treatments for liver and viral diseases, is excited to announce that Dr. Hardean Achneck has been appointed as the new Chief Medical Officer, starting immediately. In this role, Dr. Achneck will spearhead the Company’s global clinical development initiatives and join the Senior Leadership Team. With a wealth of experience in clinical development across various therapeutic areas, including hepatology and infectious diseases, Dr. Achneck brings valuable expertise to Aligos.

Dr. Hardean Achneck most recently held the position of Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development at Pliant Therapeutics (NASDAQ: PLRX), where he managed all clinical initiatives, including those targeting liver diseases. Prior to this, he was Vice President of Clinical Development at Dicerna Therapeutics (Nasdaq: DRNA). Even after Dicerna's acquisition by Novo Nordisk (NYSE: NVO; Nasdaq: Novo-B) in 2021, Dr. Achneck continued to lead efforts within the Novo Nordisk Dicerna Transformational Research Unit, successfully driving liver-targeted therapies like xalnesiran for chronic hepatitis B through various stages of development. His career also includes a role at Haemonetics Corporation (NYSE: HAE) where he led Medical Affairs and Clinical Development, and as Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Hemostemix Inc.

Before transitioning to the biopharmaceutical industry, Dr. Achneck was an Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pathology at Duke University School of Medicine and held a joint appointment as Assistant Professor of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Disorders at Duke-National University of Singapore. He earned his M.D. from Yale University School of Medicine and his B.A. in Molecular Biophysics & Biochemistry, magna cum laude, from Yale University. Dr. Achneck is licensed to practice medicine in both the U.S. and the EU and has contributed over 30 peer-reviewed publications and holds multiple patents.

Lawrence Blatt, Ph.D., MBA, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Aligos Therapeutics, stated “I am excited to welcome Hardean to Aligos as our Chief Medical Officer, with expertise across liver indications, including both MASH and CHB. Following our recent positive topline data for ALG-055009 in MASH subjects, we look forward to his strategic vision as we progress towards later stage clinical development with our best-in-class pipeline of liver and viral therapies.”

Hardean Achneck, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Aligos, expressed his excitement by saying “Joining Aligos at this time is a compelling opportunity, especially after the positive Phase 2a HERALD topline data readout. I look forward to partnering with the team to strategically lead the Company’s current and future clinical development with the mission to improve patient outcomes.”