CytoDyn announces Interim CEO appointment

CytoDyn Inc said on Tuesday that it had appointed Dr. Jacob Lalezari as Interim Chief Executive Officer, effective November 17th.

Dr. Lalezari will head the company’s corporate and product development, with a focus on short-term clinical development and associated fundraising.

Previously, Dr. Lalezari was Interim Chief Medical Officer of CytoDyn in 2020 and has been a member of the company’s scientific advisory board for the past several years.

Lalezari has served as Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of Quest Clinical Research since 1996.

He also was Chief Medical Officer of Virion Therapeutics in 2018.

Dr. Lalezari obtained his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, his M.A. from the University of Virginia and his B.A. from the University of Rochester.

“On behalf of the Board, we are thrilled to have Dr. Lalezari step in as our interim CEO while we work to conclude our search for the right CEO candidate to lead the Company for the long-term. Dr. Lalezari is a widely known and respected figure in our industry and brings expertise and experience that directly correlate with the short-term needs of the Company. We anticipate Dr. Lalezari working with us for the next few months while the Company resolves the clinical hold and makes key decisions as it relates to getting back into clinical trials and evaluating strategic partnerships,” Tanya Urbach, Chair of CytoDyn Board, said in a press release.

“I am eager to help CytoDyn move forward its corporate objectives. Indeed, I agreed to serve as interim CEO due to my belief in leronlimab and its potential. I have worked with leronlimab (and previously PRO 140) for almost 20 years, and I am pleased to step in during this critical juncture in which the Company seeks to come off clinical hold, get back to conducting trials and develop a drug that helps patients. I believe the Company can make significant and immediate progress on a number of key objectives,” Dr. Jacob Lalezari commented.