Akari Therapeutics, Plc announced it has appointed Abizer Gaslightwala to its Board of Directors, effective December 16, 2024. Michael Grissinger, a member of the Board of Directors, provided notice of his resignation on December 16, 2024. Mr. Gaslightwala, 51 is a well-established biotechnology /pharmaceutical industry leader with a demonstrated track record of success spanning over 25 years in the development and commercialization of novel medicines across a range of companies and therapeutic areas.

Mr. Gaslightwala currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Franchise Head for Oncology at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, where he has full responsibility for a portfolio of products spanning both solid and hematological malignancies that have total annual sales of $1 billion. These brands include ZIIHERA for HER2+ cancers, ZEPZELCA for small cell lung cancer, and RYLAZE, DEFITELIO, and VYXEOS for a range of hematological malignancies. Prior to his current position at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Mr. Gaslightwala has led and driven growth in several leadership roles at Amgen, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson across multiple brands including Kyprolis, Vectibix, Neulasta, XGEVAf, Repatha, and ELIQUIS.

His experience spans business unit leadership, brand marketing, sales leadership, commercial pipeline planning, advanced analytics and insights, and business development. Mr. Gaslightwala also helped lead R&D strategic planning within the autoimmune/inflammation portfolio at Johnson & Johnson, as well as lead commercial planning for Remicade and several novel pipeline molecules focused on rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis. Additionally, Mr. Gaslightwala advised several life science companies through his time at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Mr. Gaslightwala holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, and an MBA from the Sloan School of Management, and a MS in Chemical Engineering from MIT.