Aardvark Therapeutics (AARD) announces new management appointments

Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. (Aardvark) (Nasdaq: AARD), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel, small-molecule therapeutics to activate innate homeostatic pathways for the treatment of metabolic diseases, today announced the appointments of key members of its leadership team, including Timothy Kieffer, Ph.D., as Chief Scientific Officer; Danny Villeneuve as Chief Commercial Officer; Terrie Kellmeyer, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs; and Christian Zapf, J.D., as General Counsel.

“As we make progress with our Phase 3 HERO study of ARD-101 for the treatment of hyperphagia associated with Prader-Willi Syndrome, these important appointments deepen our expertise across key functions and provide additional strategic insight to further propel our programs forward,” said Tien Lee, M.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aardvark. “Their collective experience is a valuable addition as we continue shaping the path ahead for Aardvark.”

Timothy Kieffer, Ph.D., is a globally recognized academic leader in diabetes mechanisms and translational medicine. He previously served as Chief Scientific Officer at ViaCyte Inc. (acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals), followed by Fractyl Health. Before his roles in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Kieffer oversaw the Laboratory of Molecular and Cellular Medicine with a focus on the development of novel gene and cell therapy approaches to treat diabetes at the University of British Columbia. He has contributed to groundbreaking research and the development of novel modalities of treatment in diabetes. Dr. Kieffer holds patents in the field and has co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications that have been cited more than 25,000 times. He received his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of British Columbia and completed his post-doctoral training in Molecular Endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kieffer received the Diabetes Canada Young Scientist Award and was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Danny Villeneuve brings more than 20 years of commercial leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry across U.S. and International markets. Most recently, he served as EVP, Chief Commercial Officer for Ironshore Pharmaceuticals, where he successfully led the commercial strategy and execution for the relaunch of their flagship product in the ADHD market. His leadership contributed significantly to the company's turnaround and subsequent acquisition by Collegium Pharmaceuticals. Prior to this role, Mr. Villeneuve commercialized products in the ADHD, CNS, diabetes and obesity markets with industry leaders including Orexigen Therapeutics, Shire Pharmaceuticals and Novartis Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Villeneuve earned his Bachelor of Science in Medical Biology at Université du Québec in Canada.

Terrie Kellmeyer, Ph.D., brings nearly 30 years of deep regulatory strategy and clinical development expertise across multiple therapeutic areas to Aardvark. Dr. Kellmeyer has contributed to the submission of multiple successful New Drug Applications to the FDA and Marketing Authorization Applications to the European Medicines Agency, among them OLPRUVA® (sodium phenylbutyrate), REZDIFFRA® (resmetirom), BYETTA® (exenatide injection), SYMLIN® (pramlintide acetate), and OCALIVA® (obeticholic acid). She previously served as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development and Regulatory Affairs at Anavex Life Sciences. Prior to that, she held strategic leadership positions, including Head of Global Regulatory Affairs at Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, and positions of increasing responsibility at Acer Therapeutics, Intercept Pharmaceuticals, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, and Gen-Probe. Dr. Kellmeyer received her Bachelor of Science in Biotechnology from Rochester Institute of Technology, a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from SUNY Syracuse, and completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the University of Rochester.

Christian Zapf, J.D., has extensive roots in the biotechnology sector with over 20 years of legal and transactional experience in a variety of settings. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and General Counsel at Abpro Corporation, a company developing next-generation antibody therapies. Previously, he was Vice President and Counsel at NantWorks, a healthcare investment company, and Abraxis BioScience, an oncology-focused company and developer of ABRAXANE® (nab-paclitaxel). Prior to that, he served as Counsel, Corporate Development at American Pharmaceutical Partners, a manufacturer of generic injectables. Mr. Zapf received a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Cambridge University, a J.D. from Columbia University, and an M.B.A. from INSEAD.

Inducement Grants

On May 16, 2025, two new employees of Aardvark were awarded grants of options to purchase an aggregate of 137,500 shares of common stock. Each option was granted pursuant to the Aardvark Therapeutics, Inc. 2025 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan, as approved by the Compensation Committee of Aardvark’s Board of Directors on May 15, 2025, and was granted as an inducement material to each employee’s employment with Aardvark in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The exercise price of each option is $9.89 , the closing price of Aardvark’s common stock on May 16, 2025, the date of grant. Each option will vest over four years, with 25% of the total number of shares vesting on the one year anniversary of the date of commencement of such employee’s employment with Aardvark and 1/48th of the total number of shares subject to each option vesting monthly thereafter, subject in each case to such employee’s continued service to Aardvark on each vesting date. Aardvark is providing this information in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).

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