Julie is an industry veteran with experience spanning management consulting, investment banking and business development

SHENZHEN, CHINA and ROCKVILLE, MD, August XX, 2019 — HighTide Therapeutics Inc. (“HighTide”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced that Julie Yixia Wu has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer. In this new role, Ms. Wu will oversee operations globally.

“Julie enhances our management team with perspective gained through her diverse professional experience,” said Liping Liu, Ph.D., Founder, CEO & CSO of HighTide. “We are very pleased that she joined HighTide as we move forward into the next stage of our corporate development.”

"I am excited to be part of a company that has such potential to help patients worldwide,” said Julie Wu. “There are great unmet needs associated with the indications addressed by HighTide’s pipeline, including HTD1801. I was attracted to the team’s commitment and sense of urgency to bring these solutions to market.”

Ms. Wu has many years of industry experience including management consulting, investment banking and business development across the U.S. and China. Most recently, she served as Head of Strategic Planning, Business Development and Licensing, Novartis Pharmaceutical (China).

Ms. Wu received an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, a Master Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Bachelor of Engineering from Tsinghua University.

About HighTide Therapeutics and HTD1801

HighTide Therapeutics Inc., founded in 2011 in Shenzhen, China, is dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative therapeutics for people suffering from non-viral chronic liver diseases, gastrointestinal diseases and metabolic disorders with large and unsatisfied market needs. For additional information, please visit https://hightidetx.com/.

HTD1801, HighTide’s lead program, is a new molecular entity being developed for the treatment of NASH and PSC. HTD1801 has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration Fast Track designation for both NASH and PSC, and FDA Orphan Drug designation for PSC. HTD1801 is currently in Phase 2 proof of concept trials for NASH and PSC in the U.S. Topline clinical results are expected in 2020.

In addition, HighTide has several other pipelines in development for GI and metabolic diseases, including HTD4010 for Pancreatitis.

About NASH

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a form of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is a chronic, complex liver disease characterized by hepatitis – inflammation of the liver – and liver cell damage, which can lead to fibrosis of the liver. NASH can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Prevalence of NASH is on the rise and it may soon surpass hepatitis C as a cause for liver transplant. Currently, there are no approved therapies for NASH.

About PSC

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic, progressive liver disease characterized by inflammation and fibrosis of the bile ducts, leading to the formation of multifocal bile duct strictures. This cholestatic disease deteriorates to fibrosis, cirrhosis and ultimately liver failure, with an increased risk of malignancy. Currently, there are no approved therapies for PSC.

Contact:

Jeffrey Dao

ir@hightidetx.com