Belite Bio Announces Appointment of Hendrik PN Scholl, MD, MA, as Chief Medical Officer

Dr. Scholl is a world-renowned leader in the field of ophthalmology and the coordinating principal investigator of the largest ever natural history study of Stargardt disease

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 1, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Belite Bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: BLTE) (“Belite Bio” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical drug development company focused on developing novel therapies targeting degenerative retinal diseases with significant unmet medical need, today announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Hendrik PN Scholl, MD, MA, as the Company’s Chief Medical Officer, effective immediately. Dr. Scholl is the world’s foremost recognized authority on Stargardt’s disease and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), with decades of expertise in the treatment of retinal diseases, including the two key indications targeted by Belite Bio’s lead drug candidate, Tinlarebant.

“Dr. Scholl has pioneered some of the most important advances in ophthalmology of our time, and we are incredibly honored and excited to welcome him as our Chief Medical Officer,” said Dr. Tom Lin, Chairman and CEO of Belite Bio. “Dr. Scholl chaired the Data and Safety Monitoring Board for both our Phase 2 and Phase 3 studies in Stargardt disease, and his decision to join Belite reaffirms our belief in the immense potential of Tinlarebant to improve the lives of patients with debilitating macular diseases. His leadership, expertise and dedication to addressing this area of high unmet need have been, and will continue to be, invaluable as we advance our clinical programs.”

“I am excited to join Belite Bio at this pivotal time in the company’s development,” said Dr. Scholl. “I have dedicated my career to improving the lives of people suffering from serious retinal and macular diseases, and I have been deeply impressed by Belite Bio’s groundbreaking approach to developing transformative therapies for Stargardt’s disease and dry AMD, which have historically had no effective treatment options. I look forward to working with the team to advance these programs and bring hope to patients around the world.”

Dr. Scholl was the founder and scientific co-director of the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) and professor of ophthalmology at the University of Basel, where he also headed the department of ophthalmology as chairman. He is currently president of the European Vision Institute and chairman of the largest clinical research network in ophthalmology in Europe, EVICR.net, and the Expert Committee on Retinal Dystrophies. He is also the founder and chairman of the Swiss Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO-SWISS).

Dr. Scholl’s distinguished academic career includes leadership positions at several major academic institutions. Most recently, he was a professor of ophthalmology and a professor at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University Medical School. At Johns Hopkins Hospital, he was chief of the Retinal Degeneration Clinic and director of the Visual Neurophysiology Service. At the Wilmer Eye Institute, he also served as co-director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Stem Cells and Ophthalmic Regenerative Medicine.

Dr. Scholl is the coordinating principal investigator of the largest natural history study of Stargardt’s disease (ProgStar Study), which enrolled 365 subjects. Throughout his career, he has participated in over 10 clinical studies in both Stargardt’s disease and AMD, authored over 280 articles and reviews in peer-reviewed journals, and received numerous prestigious awards including the European Vision Award, the President’s Award of the American Society of Retinal Specialists, the W. Richard Green Award and the Paul Henkind Memorial Award of the Macula Society, the Swiss Alfred-Vogt Award, and the Kupfer Award of ARVO. He holds an honorary doctorate from Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, and is an associate professor at the Medical University of Vienna, Austria.

During his 25 years of experience, Dr. Scholl has led and served on numerous boards and advisory committees. He currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Pro Retina Deutschland, Foundation Fighting Blindness, Erasmus University Medical Center, AIBILI and the Institut de la Vision (Paris); on the Investment Advisory Board of Droia NV; and on the Data Safety Monitoring Board of Roche Holding AG and ViGeneron GmbH.

Dr. Scholl graduated from the University of Tübingen, Germany with a Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.) and Master of Arts degrees. He completed his specialist training at the University Eye Hospital in Tübingen before being awarded a German Research Foundation (DFG) fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Institute of Ophthalmology in London, and a DFG Heisenberg Professorship in Macular Diseases at the Eye Clinic of the University of Bonn, Germany.

About Belite Bio

Belite Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical drug development company focused on developing novel therapies targeting degenerative retinal eye diseases with significant unmet medical needs, such as Stargardt disease and geographic atrophy in advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), as well as specific metabolic diseases. Belite’s lead candidate, Tinlarebant, an oral therapy intended to reduce toxin accumulation in the eye, is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 study (DRAGON) and a Phase 2/3 study (DRAGON II) in adolescent Stargardt subjects and a Phase 3 study (PHOENIX) in subjects with geographic atrophy. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook or visit us at www.belitebio.com.

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