Metriopharm AG: Prof. Dr. Med. Jürgen Braun Appointed As New Member Of The Scientific Advisory Board

• Prof. Dr. med. Jürgen Braun joins the Scientific Advisory Board of MetrioPharm AG.
• With more than 800 peer-reviewed publications and various prestigious awards, Prof. Braun is internationally recognized as a leading expert in the field of modern clinical and academic rheumatology.

Zurich, May 26, 2026 – MetrioPharm AG, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing medicines for inflammatory and infectious diseases, today announced that Prof. Dr. med. Jürgen Braun is joining the company's Scientific Advisory Board.

With the appointment of Prof. Braun, MetrioPharm is specifically expanding its Scientific Advisory Board with expertise in inflammatory rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Jürgen Braun has been advising MetrioPharm since December 2025 and has significantly supported the company in the further development of the clinical strategy and study design for MP1032 in rheumatological indications.

Thomas Christély, Chief Executive Officer of MetrioPharm AG, commented on the appointment:“We are delighted to welcome Jürgen Braun, an internationally renowned rheumatologist, to our Scientific Advisory Board. For more than three decades, he has played a significant role in shaping rheumatology research and the international clinical trial landscape.”

Prof. Dr. med. Steffen Stürzebecher, Chief Medical Officer of MetrioPharm AG, added:“Jürgen Braun's experience of conducting clinical trials will be invaluable as we move forward with the next stages of development for MP1032. I am pleased to have on board a colleague whose medical and scientific advice I have valued for many years.”

Prof. Dr. med. Jürgen Braun:“MP1032 follows a mechanism of action that targets the body's own regulation of inflammatory processes, offering an interesting complementary pathway to established therapies for inflammatory rheumatic diseases. I look forward to supporting MetrioPharm in this phase with my clinical and methodological experience.”

Profile: Prof. Dr. med. Jürgen Braun

Prof. Dr. J. Braun is a specialist in internal medicine with an additional qualification in rheumatology and an internationally leading expert in the field of rheumatic diseases. For more than two decades, he served as Medical Director of the Rheumatology Center Ruhrgebiet in Herne and later held the Chair of Rheumatology at Ruhr University Bochum. He is currently Professor Emeritus at Ruhr University Bochum, a member of the Advisory Board of the German Society for Rheumatology (DGRh), and Medical Head of the Rheumatology Care Center Steglitz (RVZ) in Berlin.

After beginning his academic career at the Benjamin Franklin University Hospital in Berlin, Prof. Braun completed his habilitation in internal medicine at Freie Universität Berlin and was appointed associate professor at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin before later receiving an associate and then a full professorship at the Ruhr University Bochum.

Over the course of his career, Prof. Braun has held numerous national and international leadership positions in rheumatology and led several major international initiatives in the field of rheumatology. He served as President of the DGRh, as Scientific Director of the German Rheuma Academy, and as a long-standing board member of ASAS, the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society.

He is the author of more than 800 peer-reviewed publications and has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Carol Nachman Prize, the EULAR Award, honorary membership of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR Master), and a lifetime achievement award from SPARTAN. Prof. Braun is internationally recognized for his contributions to modern clinical and academic rheumatology.

About MetrioPharm AG and MP1032

MetrioPharm AG is a Swiss clinical-stage biotechnology company developing unique self-regulating immunomodulators for novel therapies targeting a wide range of inflammatory and infectious diseases. The lead compound MP1032 is characterized by its broad efficacy potential and excellent safety profile without systemic immunosuppression.

MetrioPharm's first goal is to replace (at least partially) the long-term use of glucocorticoids (commonly known as“cortisone”) with MP1032. In preclinical studies, MP1032 demonstrated an anti-inflammatory effect comparable to cortisone without its associated side effects. MP1032 therefore represents a novel concept in anti-inflammatory and cortisone-reducing or even replacing therapy in inflammatory rheumatic diseases and other indications where glucocorticoids are used as standard therapy, offering not only equivalent but potentially higher efficacy due to synergistic effects with low doses of cortisone.

MetrioPharm's development focus is on orphan inflammatory diseases, with the aim of independently advancing MP1032 in these indications to market approval. In addition, MetrioPharm is expanding the out-licensing potential of its lead compound MP1032 for further inflammatory and infectious diseases with large patient populations.

Preclinical in vivo models for a wide range of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases indicate therapeutic potential of MP1032, e.g. in rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and sepsis. Three Phase II clinical efficacy studies of MP1032, involving 208 patients treated with MP1032, have shown important efficacy trends in patients with psoriasis and COVID-19.

In addition to its anti-inflammatory effect, MP1032 shows anti-infective effects against a wide range of viruses and bacteria due to its host-cell-directed mechanism of action. In the Phase IIa study involving 132 COVID-19 patients - funded by the EU with 8 million euros and published in the renowned journal The Lancet Regional Health - Europe - MetrioPharm was able to demonstrate important trends in clinical efficacy. These data indicate a potential for preparedness against future viral or bacterial pandemics (pandemic preparedness), as well as in patients with Long COVID.

MP1032 is the world's first and only active substance capable of normalizing pathologically elevated ROS (reactive oxygen species) levels while preserving the physiological ROS required for normal cellular function. In addition, MP1032 markedly reduces inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12, and IL-23 which are increased under pathological conditions.

The company is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, and has a subsidiary in Berlin, Germany.

....

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties and reflect MetrioPharm AG's assessment as of the date of this release. Such forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties. No liability or warranty is assumed, and no claim is made as to the timeliness, accuracy, or completeness of the data and information provided herein; no legal obligation should be inferred from such data and information, whether expressly or by implication.

Contact
MetrioPharm AG
Corporate Communications
...

akampion

Ines-Regina Buth
Managing Partner
...
Tel. +49 40 88 16 59 64 /
Tel. +49 30 23 63 27 68

MENAFN26052026004107003653ID1111167167