NodThera Announces Appointment of Elisabeth Björk as Board Member
NodThera Announces Appointment of Elisabeth Björk as Board Member
- Former SVP at AstraZeneca R&D brings deep expertise in obesity and cardiometabolic research, portfolio strategy development and commercialization
- Appointment follows commencement of Phase 2 RESOLVE-1 trial of oral NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitor NT-0796 in patients with obesity
Philadelphia, PA, June 17, 2025 - NodThera, a leading clinical-stage biotech delivering a paradigm shift in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases through selective modulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, today announces the appointment of Elisabeth Björk, M.D., Ph.D. as Board Member.
Elisabeth has more than 20 years of experience in late-stage clinical development, global regulatory submissions and successful drug commercialization, with particular strengths in cardiovascular and metabolic disease. She most recently served as Senior Vice President (SVP), Head of Obesity franchise at AstraZeneca (LON: AZN), where she led the development of AZD5004, a small molecule oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, and drove portfolio strategy development for obesity, weight management, diabetes, and cardiorenal protection.
While at AstraZeneca, Elisabeth also held senior CVRM (Cardiovascular, Renal and Metabolism) leadership roles including SVP, Head of late phase CVRM R&D. In this role she was instrumental in transforming the disease area from the treatment of individual risk factors to broad cardiorenal protection, bringing several blockbuster drugs to patients. Elisabeth also co-chaired the Therapy Area Leadership Team setting strategy across research and commercial functions, delivering global late-stage portfolio and life cycle management programs, and serving as global line leader for CVRM clinical development personnel. Her leadership was pivotal in building AstraZeneca's world-class CVRM portfolio and establishing one of the industry's leading R&D sites in Gothenburg, Sweden, where she served as site lead.
Daniel Swisher, Chief Executive Officer of NodThera, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Elisabeth to our Board of Directors. Her exceptional track record in the obesity and broader cardiometabolic fields, setting and executing strategy, and bringing transformative medicines to patients, will be invaluable as we advance our brain-penetrant NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors further through clinical development. Elisabeth's deep scientific and commercial understanding, in a therapeutic focus area that is so important to NodThera, will bring tremendous value to the advancement of our programs and our evolution into a mature, high-value clinical-stage company."
Elisabeth Björk, MD, PhD, commented: "I am delighted to join NodThera's Board of Directors at this critical point in the company's journey. The potential to selectively modulate the NLRP3 inflammasome to reset the body's metabolic pathways represents a compelling therapeutic opportunity with significant implications for patients suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases. With my drug development experience, I look forward to supporting the talented and experienced management team as they advance their innovative therapies to market."
Elisabeth currently serves on the Boards of several public and private companies, including Rocket Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:RCKT), Pharvaris N.V. (NASDAQ:PHVS), Vicore Pharma AB (STO: VICO), Camurus AB (STO: CAMX), and Ousia Pharma ApS. Elisabeth holds an M.D. from the Karolinska Institute and a Ph.D. in Endocrinology from Uppsala University, where she also served as Associate Professor of Medicine.
For more information about NodThera please contact:
NodThera
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 608130
Email: [email protected]
ICR Healthcare
Amber Fennell, David Daley
Tel: +44 (0)20 3709 5700
Email: [email protected]
About NodThera
NodThera is a leading clinical-stage biotech developing brain-penetrant NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors to treat chronic inflammatory diseases. Led by an experienced management team, NodThera is combining a deep understanding of NLRP3 inhibition, pharmaceutical neuroscience expertise and precision chemistry. Its two lead clinical candidates are oral, small molecule NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors, which have demonstrated differentiated, potentially best-in-class clinical profiles with significant anti-inflammatory effects and high brain penetration, offering distinct opportunities to treat multiple indications. The Company is backed by top-tier investors including 5AM Ventures, Blue Owl Capital, Epidarex Capital, F-Prime Capital, Novo Holdings, Sanofi Ventures and Sofinnova Partners. NodThera is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with additional operations in Cambridge, UK. Learn more at www.nodthera.com or follow the Company on LinkedIn.
