Flare Therapeutics Appoints Peter Lebowitz, MD, PhD, to Board of Directors and Brian DeSchuytner as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer

- Addition of industry leader Dr. Peter Lebowitz strengthens the Board with deep oncology-focused drug development expertise

- Brian DeSchuytner brings finance, business development, strategy, commercial and operations expertise to support company growth following prioritization of prostate cancer programs

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flare Therapeutics Inc. (FlareTx), a clinical-stage biotechnology company targeting transcription factors to discover and develop transformative therapies for prostate cancer, today announced the appointments of Peter Lebowitz, MD, PhD, to its Board of Directors and Brian DeSchuytner as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer.

“We're excited to welcome Peter to our Board. He is a highly accomplished, world-class oncology drug developer and industry leader, with a track record of identifying and delivering transformational medicines and building highly productive teams. His expertise will be invaluable as we work to advance our AR(ON) degrader, FX-111, and our AR(ON) RIPTAC program to address the needs of patients living with prostate cancer,” said Anna Protopapas, Chief Executive Officer. "We're also thrilled to have Brian join Flare Therapeutics at this pivotal moment in our growth. His broad executive leadership experience across finance, business development, strategy, commercial and operations is well-suited to advance our financial and business strategy toward key value-creating milestones.”

Appointment of Peter Lebowitz, MD, PhD, to Board of Directors

Peter Lebowitz, MD, PhD, is Chief Executive Officer and Chief Medical Officer at Third Arc Bio. Prior to Third Arc Bio, Peter served as the Global Head of Oncology R&D for Johnson & Johnson (J&J) overseeing an end-to-end research and development organization that delivered 13 new drugs to market with over 60 approvals. Over his career, Peter has delivered multiple first and best-in-class transformational medicines, including ZYTIGA^®, IMBRUVICA^®, DARZALEX^®, DARZALEX FASPRO^®, ERLEADA^®, RYBREVANT^®, LAZCLUZE^®, CARVYKTI^®, TECVAYLI^®, TALVEY^®, TAFINLAR^®, and MEKINIST^®. Peter’s innovative approach to drug development resulted in 12 FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designations and 38 New England Journal of Medicine publications for J&J medicines. These achievements underscore his ability to push the boundaries of science and deliver life-changing therapies to patients. Prior to J&J, Peter also held multiple leadership roles at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) including Vice President, Global Head of Oncology Early Clinical Development and Vice President and Medical Development Leader in Late Development. In these roles, he successfully filed 10 Investigational New Drug applications and played a leading role in taking two medicines from early discovery through global registration trials by setting a new benchmark with a “novel-novel” drug combination approach. Peter now also serves as a CEO partner at Omega Funds, a leading life science investment firm, and as a board director at Neomorph and BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics. After earning his BA in chemistry from Harvard University, Peter earned his MD and PhD in cell and molecular biology from the University of Pennsylvania and completed his training in internal medicine and oncology at Duke University and the National Cancer Institute.

"FlareTx’s AR(ON)-targeting degrader, FX-111, and AR(ON) RIPTAC are highly differentiated and have the potential to address key limitations of current prostate cancer therapies," said Dr. Lebowitz. “I am greatly impressed with the rigor and strength of the scientific evidence, and I am excited to join the Board and support the team as they advance these programs.”

Appointment of Brian DeSchuytner as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer

Most recently, Mr. DeSchuytner was the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Mersana Therapeutics, where he raised significant capital and led impactful business development collaborations with J&J, GSK, and Merck KGaA, culminating in the sale of the company to Day One Biopharmaceuticals. Prior to Mersana, he was Vice President responsible for ZEJULA^® (niraparib) commercialization at TESARO. Previously, Mr. DeSchuytner held increasingly senior roles in corporate development and in commercial at Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company including serving as a Vice President and Global Brand Head responsible for the global launch of NINLARO^® (ixazomib).  He started his career in the life sciences practice of L.E.K. Consulting. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from Dartmouth College. 

"Despite the introduction of novel androgen receptor pathway inhibitors and new targeted therapies, prostate cancer is a devastating disease and metastatic prostate cancer remains incurable. Targeting AR(ON) offers the potential to overcome key vulnerabilities of conventional therapies that target AR(OFF) and has broad potential across prostate cancer at all stages,” said Mr. DeSchuytner. “I look forward to partnering with Anna and the rest of the Flare Therapeutics team to demonstrate the value of our molecules and improve outcomes for patients living with prostate cancer.”

Daphne Karydas, who served as President and Chief Financial Officer since October 2021, has decided to pursue other opportunities. Ms. Karydas will serve as an advisor to the Company, to support a smooth transition.

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, our leadership and the entire Flare Therapeutics team, I also want to thank Daphne for her many contributions,” continued Ms. Protopapas. “Daphne was instrumental in growing and scaling the company to where we are today, including securing significant financing and executing key strategic partnerships. We wish her all the best in her new role.”

About Flare Therapeutics Inc.
Flare Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company drugging transcription factors to fully unlock the therapeutic potential of this previously elusive target class. The company’s discovery platform has generated a rich development portfolio which is currently focused on advancing transformative AR(ON)-targeting therapies for prostate cancer. For more information, please visit www.flaretx.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Contacts:

Investors
Sarah McCabe
investorrelations@flaretx.com

Media
media@flaretx.com