Kezar Life Sciences Strengthens Management Team, Appoints Celia Economides as Senior Vice President, Strategy and External Affairs

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., March 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kezar Life Sciences, Inc. KZR, a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing novel small molecule therapeutics to treat unmet needs in autoimmunity and cancer, today announced the appointment of Celia Economides as Senior Vice President of Strategy and External Affairs.  Ms. Economides will serve as a member of the management team and executive committee leading Kezar's overall investor relations, scientific communications, patient advocacy and strategic efforts.

"We are delighted to welcome Celia to the team," said John Fowler, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kezar Life Sciences. "Celia's depth and breadth of experience across multiple facets of the biotech industry, including finance, patient advocacy, medical and government affairs will add tremendous value to Kezar. I look forward to working in close partnership with Celia and know she shares our passion for delivering novel therapies to patients living with challenging diseases."

"I am pleased to join Kezar at a critical phase of development as we advance KZR-616, our first-in-class immunoproteasome inhibitor, across several areas of high unmet need, said Ms. Economides. "I hope to make a lasting impact on Kezar and contribute positively to our future direction and growth as we work diligently to provide a meaningful clinical benefit to patients where limited treatment options exist."

Ms. Economides has nearly 20 years of experience in the life sciences and biotech industries, spanning finance, corporate strategy, communications, patient advocacy, clinical, medical and government affairs. Prior to joining Kezar, Ms. Economides served as Vice President, Corporate Affairs at Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, Inc, where she led the company's investor relations, corporate communications, and patient advocacy efforts, establishing relationships and alliances with key advocacy groups across the company's therapeutic focus. Previously, Ms. Economides served as Director, Global Medical Affairs and Director, Clinical Operations at BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc. after the Company's acquisition of Prosensa where she led IR and corporate communications. Earlier in her career, she led investor relations and program development at the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) and worked at a healthcare focused hedge fund and in financial services focusing on the biotech sector.  Ms. Economides currently serves on the Board of Directors of Altum Pharmaceuticals Inc, a private company focused on women's health.  She received her M.P.H. from Columbia University and a B.A. from McGill University.

About Kezar Life Sciences

Based in South San Francisco, Kezar Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to revolutionizing treatments for patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer. Kezar is translating its innovative research on the immunoproteasome and protein secretion pathways to advance novel therapeutic approaches. KZR-616, a first-in-class immunoproteasome inhibitor, is currently in a Phase 1b trial, with a Phase 2 trial in lupus nephritis patients expected to initiate during the first half of 2019. Kezar is also poised to expand its development programs throughout 2019 with plans to initiate Phase 2 trials of KZR-616, in up to four additional autoimmune indications, and to nominate an initial clinical candidate for the treatment of cancer from its protein secretion program. For more information, visit www.kezarlifesciences.com.

CONTACTS:
Alex Gray, Burns McClellan, Inc., on behalf of Kezar Life Sciences
212-213-0006
agray@burnsmc.com