Exhibit 99.1
Allena Pharmaceuticals Appoints Mark J. Fitzpatrick to its Board of Directors
NEWTON, Mass., April 7, 2021 — Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALNA), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing first-in-class, oral enzyme therapeutics to treat patients with rare and severe metabolic and kidney disorders, today announced the appointment of Mark J. Fitzpatrick to its board of directors.
“Mark is an experienced industry executive, who has led financial strategy at biopharmaceutical companies across all stages of development,” said Louis Brenner, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Allena Pharmaceuticals. “His extensive experience working with late-stage, rare disease companies will be particularly valuable as we continue to advance our ongoing Phase 3 URIROX-2 clinical trial and begin preparing for the potential launch of reloxaliase as a first-in-class treatment for enteric hyperoxaluria.”
Mr. Fitzpatrick brings over 30 years of operational and financial management experience to Allena. Most recently, he spent six years at Chiasma, Inc. where he served initially as Chief Financial Officer and subsequently President and Chief Executive Officer, and played an integral role in securing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of MYCAPSSA® for the treatment of acromegaly. Prior to Chiasma, he served as Chief Financial Officer for several biopharmaceutical companies. In these roles, Mr. Fitzpatrick raised over $1.5 billion in both public and private equity and debt financings, and helped negotiate strategic collaborations with both large pharmaceutical companies and commercial contract manufacturers. Mr. Fitzpatrick began his career at Arthur Andersen LLP and holds a B.S. in Accounting from Boston College.
“I am delighted to join Allena’s board of directors,” said Mr. Fitzpatrick. “Based on the data generated to date and its unique mechanism of action, I believe reloxaliase has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of enteric hyperoxaluria, providing patients with the first therapeutic option specifically developed for their disease. I am eager to lend my expertise to help advance this program, while also supporting Allena in the development of its broader pipeline, including ALLN-346 for the treatment of patients with hyperuricemia and chronic kidney disease.”
In conjunction with Mr. Fitzpatrick’s appointment, Allena announced that board members James Topper, M.D., Ph.D., managing general partner at Frazier Healthcare and a founding member of the company’s board of directors since 2011, and Andrew A. F. Hack, M.D., Ph.D., a member of the company’s board of directors since 2018, will not stand for re-election at the Company’s annual meeting in June.
“On behalf of the entire Allena team, I want to thank Jamie and Andrew for their service,” said Alexey Margolin, Ph.D., Chairman of the Board of Allena Pharmaceuticals. “Jamie has been a supportive, committed member of Allena’s board since the inception of the company and we are grateful for his many years of dedication and guidance. Together, Jamie and Andrew have contributed many important insights, which have been instrumental in enabling Allena to expand its clinical-stage pipeline and pursue its vision of building a public, fully-integrated, patient-focused biopharmaceutcal company.”
About Allena Pharmaceuticals
Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class, oral biologic therapeutics to treat patients with rare and severe metabolic and kidney disorders. Allena’s lead product candidate, reloxaliase, is currently being evaluated in a pivotal Phase 3 clinical program for the treatment of enteric hyperoxaluria, a metabolic disorder characterized by markedly elevated urinary oxalate levels and commonly associated with kidney stones, chronic kidney disease and other serious kidney disorders. Allena is also developing ALLN-346 for the treatment of hyperuricemia in the setting of gout and advanced chronic kidney disease, with a Phase 1 multiple-ascending dose study and a Phase 2a program planned for 2021.
