Navigator Medicines Appoints Tausif ‘Tosh’ Butt as Chief Executive Officer and Khurem Farooq as Chairman of the Board of Directors

• Tosh, formerly President of Idorsia and Chief Operating Officer of ChemoCentryx, brings more than 20 years of leadership experience from global pharma and biotech companies
• Khurem Farooq, Chief Executive Officer of Verdiva Bio and formerly Chief Executive Officer of Aiolos Bio and Gyroscope Therapeutics, brings more than 25 years of drug development and operational leadership experience

SCOTCH PLAINS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Navigator Medicines, Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company leading the advancement of biologics for targeted immune regulation and restoration, today announced the appointments of Tausif (‘Tosh’) Butt as Chief Executive Officer and Khurem Farooq as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The additions of Mr. Butt and Mr. Farooq augment Navigator’s leadership team as the Company continues to advance NAV-240, a clinical-stage bispecific antibody targeting TNFα and OX40L, alongside a pipeline of OX40L-based biologics for complex autoimmune diseases.

Prior to joining Navigator, Tosh Butt served as President of Idorsia, and before this as Chief Operating Officer at ChemoCentryx, where he led the company's portfolio management, playing a significant role in building the development and launch strategy up until ChemoCentryx’s $3.7B acquisition by Amgen. He previously held leadership roles at AstraZeneca and GSK, where he built and led global teams across several therapeutic areas. He has launched products in both primary and specialty care, including several biologics in respiratory and immunology, such as FASENRA and TEZSPIRE.

“I’m thrilled to join Navigator at such an exciting and pivotal time for the Company,” said Tosh Butt, Chief Executive Officer of Navigator Medicines. “We’re fortunate to have one of the most mature bispecific antibody programs in immunology and inflammation, with NAV-240 recently completing a Phase 1a study and advancing into multi-dose studies later this year. We’re also excited about our pipeline of next-generation OX40L-targeted therapies as we strive to provide more treatment options for patients.”

Khurem Farooq is an accomplished industry leader who brings more than 25 years of operational and drug development expertise. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Verdiva Bio and was previously Chief Executive Officer at Aiolos Bio, which was acquired by GSK. Khurem also previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Gyroscope, which was acquired by Novartis in 2021. Prior to Gyroscope, Khurem was Senior Vice President of the Immunology and Ophthalmology business unit at Genentech, part of the Roche Group, where he led the commercialization and launch planning of several medicines and contributed to the development of multiple pipeline products.

“With the additions of Tosh and Khurem, Navigator is on course for strategic and operational excellence,” said Wouter Joustra, Board Member at Navigator and General Partner at Forbion. “With over two decades in leadership roles at both highly matrixed pharmaceutical organizations and small biotechs, Tosh has demonstrated an ability to successfully build and lead high-performance teams. He brings the added benefit of commercial experience with several product launches in spaces relevant to Navigator. Khurem’s track record as both a Chief Executive Officer and Board Member is a clear indication of the value he brings to Navigator. Together these two appointments complement the strong development and scientific foundations established by our talented team at Navigator.”

NAV-240, formerly known as IMB101, is a clinical-stage bispecific antibody against OX40L and TNFα, two clinically-validated targets that are critical in the pathogenesis of several difficult-to-treat inflammatory diseases. Dual targeting of both OX40L- and TNFα-driven signaling pathways may improve upon the efficacy of either monotherapy alone as a potential treatment option for complex, heterogenous diseases with unmet medical needs.

About Navigator Medicines

Navigator Medicines is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leading the advancement of biologics for targeted immune regulation & restoration. Founded in 2024 as a subsidiary of Sera Medicines, the Company is committed to developing new therapies for patients living with complex, heterogeneous autoimmune diseases. For more information, visit navigatormedicines.com.