Ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR.
Dario Eklund to hand over leadership following planned transition
Pratteln, Switzerland, April 23, 2026 – Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) announces the appointment of Orlando Oliveira as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 15, 2026. He succeeds Dario Eklund, who will step down after more than six and a half years as CEO and remains available during a transition period to support an orderly handover. Mr. Oliveira brings more than 25 years of global pharmaceutical and biotech experience to lead the Company’s continued growth.
Experienced commercial leader with global track record
Orlando Oliveira is a seasoned biopharma executive with more than 25 years of global experience across specialty pharmaceuticals, oncology, rare diseases, and orphan drugs. He has a strong track record of building high-performing organizations, driving international expansion, and executing strategic transactions. His experience spans the full commercial value chain, including market access, medical affairs, marketing, business development and cross-functional leadership across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, MENA, and Asia.
He currently serves as Chief Commercial Officer of Zenas BioPharma, where he is a member of the Executive Committee and has supported the company’s NASDAQ IPO, financing activities, and strategic licensing transactions. He previously held senior leadership roles at Mirati Therapeutics, Agios Pharmaceuticals, TESARO, Cubist and Amgen.
Leadership transition following a transformative period for Santhera
Dario Eklund joined Santhera as CEO on December 1, 2019. During his tenure, he led the strategic and financial repositioning of the Company, guiding Santhera through a period of significant challenge and transforming it into a focused commercial-stage rare disease business centered on AGAMREE® (vamorolone).
Under Dario’s leadership, Santhera secured AGAMREE as its lead asset, advanced the product through approvals in the U.S. (FDA, October 2023), Europe (EC, December 2023) and the UK (MHRA, January 2024), and enabled launches in both Europe and the U.S. in 2024. He also oversaw the strengthening of the Company’s financial and operational foundation, the rebuilding of external credibility with key stakeholders, and the expansion of global reach through partnerships with Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, Sperogenix and Nxera Pharma.
Taken together, these achievements established Santhera with an approved global product, a broader commercial footprint and a solid platform for continued growth and value creation.
Positioning Santhera for continued growth
“After almost seven years in this role, I believe the time is right for a planned leadership transition,” said Dario Eklund, Chief Executive Officer. “I have long believed that leadership renewal, at the right time, is healthy for companies – bringing fresh perspectives, renewed energy and support for the next phase of growth. Santhera today is on a solid foundation, with AGAMREE established as a growing global brand and the Company in a strong and stable position for the future. Having known Orlando professionally for many years, I am confident that he is the right leader to guide Santhera in its next chapter. I will work closely with Orlando and the team to support a smooth handover and continued momentum.”
Thomas Meier, Chairman of the Board, said: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Dario for his outstanding leadership and lasting contributions to Santhera’s transformation into a commercial-stage company. We are delighted to welcome Orlando as our next CEO. His experience in building and scaling international biopharma businesses and advancing commercial strategies will be important as Santhera continues to grow.”
Orlando Oliveira, incoming CEO, added: “Santhera has established a strong foundation with AGAMREE as a transformative treatment for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and a clear focus on addressing unmet needs in rare diseases. I am excited to join the Company on July 15 and look forward to working with the team to build on this progress and advance the Company’s next phase of development and growth.”
About Santhera
Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) is a Swiss specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative medicines for rare neuromuscular diseases with high unmet medical need. The Company has an exclusive license from ReveraGen for all indications worldwide to AGAMREE® (vamorolone), a dissociative steroid with novel mode of action, which was investigated in a pivotal study in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) as an alternative to standard corticosteroids. AGAMREE for the treatment of DMD is approved in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in the EU by the European Commission (EC), in the UK by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), in Switzerland by Swissmedic, in China by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), in Hong Kong by the Department of Health (DoH) and in Canada by Health Canada. Santhera has out-licensed the rights to AGAMREE as follows: to Catalyst Pharmaceuticals for North America; to Sperogenix Therapeutics for China and certain countries in Southeast Asia; and to Nxera Pharma for Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. For further information, please visit www.santhera.com.
AGAMREE® is a trademark of Santhera Pharmaceuticals.
For further information please contact:
Santhera
Catherine Isted, Chief Financial Officer:
IR@santhera.com
ICR Healthcare:
Santhera@icrhealthcare.com
Stifel
+44 (0)20 7710 7600
Brough Ransom, Charles Hoare, Fred Walsh
Octavian
+41 (0)44 520 1588
Serge Monnerat, Marius Zuberbuehler
Disclaimer / Forward-looking statements
This communication does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities of Santhera Pharmaceuticals Holding AG. This publication may contain certain forward-looking statements concerning the Company and its business. Such statements involve certain risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. Readers should therefore not place undue reliance on these statements, particularly not in connection with any contract or investment decision. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
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