Relief Therapeutics : Appoints Dr. Taneli Jouhikainen as Chief Operating Officer

Relief Appoints Dr. Taneli Jouhikainen as Chief Operating Officer

Geneva, Switzerland, May 28, 2021 - RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG (SIX: RLF, OTCQB: RLFTF) ('Relief' or the 'Company'), a biopharmaceutical company with its lead compound RLF-100™ (aviptadil) in advanced clinical development to treat COVID-19 induced respiratory disorders, today announced the appointment of Taneli Jouhikainen, M.D., MBA, to the newly created position of Chief Operating Officer (COO), effective June 1, 2021. The position was created to stay abreast with Relief's strategic transition from a clinical-stage company to a diversified, fully integrated product-driven entity. Dr. Jouhikainen will oversee all internal product development and intellectual property activities and will be an important contributor to the Company's growth strategy and corporate development efforts. He will also be responsible for the overall integration of new activities and programs into Relief.

Raghuram (Ram) Selvaraju, Chairman of the Board of Relief, said: 'I am excited to welcome Taneli to the Relief team as we take major steps to broaden our business, including diversifying our portfolio with new programs in clinical development as well as on the market. He has strong experience in pharmaceutical industry leadership and product commercialization and combines strategic thinking with the ability to effectively execute business plans. He is a strong addition to our management team.'

Dr. Taneli Jouhikainen has over 25 years of life sciences expertise. He joins Relief from Savara, a Nasdaq-listed clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on rare respiratory diseases, where he was Co-Founder and President & COO. Prior to this, he served at Akela Pharma Inc., a public clinical stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on orphan drugs and inhalation products, first as Head of Corporate Development and subsequently as CEO until the company's merger with Nventa Biopharmaceuticals. He served in senior executive roles at various other life sciences companies, including LAB International, Inc. and Focus Inhalation Oy, and was Head of Clinical Development at Leiras, a subsidiary of Schering AG. Dr. Jouhikainen holds an M.D. and a Ph.D. in hematology and immunology from the University of Helsinki and an MBA from the Helsinki School of Economics.

'I am intrigued by the opportunity to join Relief at this pivotal time,' said Taneli Jouhikainen, M.D., MBA, COO of Relief. 'I look forward to contributing my expertise in pharmaceutical business strategy and development as I work closely with the other members of the team not only to advance Relief's exciting current programs but to bring in new products and businesses.'

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ABOUT RELIEF

Relief focuses primarily on clinical-stage programs based on molecules with a history of clinical testing and use in human patients or a strong scientific rationale. Relief's lead drug candidate RLF-100™ (aviptadil), a synthetic form of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP), is in late-stage clinical testing in the U.S. for the treatment of respiratory deficiency due to COVID-19. As part of its pipeline diversification strategy, in March 2021, Relief entered into a Collaboration and License Agreement with Acer Therapeutics for the worldwide development and commercialization of ACER-001. ACER-001 is a taste-masked and immediate release proprietary powder formulation of sodium phenylbutyrate (NaPB) for the treatment of Urea Cycle Disorders and Maple Syrup Urine Disease.
RELIEF THERAPEUTICS Holding AG is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the symbol RLF and quoted in the U.S. on OTCQB under the symbol RLFTF. For more information, visit www.relieftherapeutics.com. Follow us on LinkedIn.