LA JOLLA, Calif., Oct. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equillium, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging a deep understanding of immunobiology to develop novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, today announced changes to its Board of Directors (BoD) and senior leadership, and other corporate updates.

“The updates we announced today mark an important and timely step as we sharpen our therapeutic pipeline focus on advancing EQ504, our novel aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) modulator, into the clinic to treat severe inflammatory diseases,” said Bruce Steel, Chief Executive Officer at Equillium. “These changes are intended to strengthen our ability to execute with enhanced capital efficiency to bring meaningful new therapies to patients in need. We are very pleased to promote Dr. Stephen Connelly to President, as his scientific and organizational leadership will continue to impact our success into the future. We would also like to sincerely thank Dr. Bala Manian for his service to the company since its inception; his thoughtfulness and insights were always constructive and welcomed by the Board.”

Recent Corporate Updates:

Changes to Corporate Governance Effective October 1, 2025

• Stephen Connelly, Ph.D. has been promoted to President, in addition to his current role as Chief Scientific Officer, of the Company.
• Stephen Connelly, Ph.D. and Bala Manian, Ph.D. tendered their resignations from the BoD; such resignations were not the result of any disagreement with the Company on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices.
• Daniel M. Bradbury transitioned from Executive Chairman of the Company to Chairman of the BoD.
• Bruce Steel remains the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and a member of the BoD.

Termination of Biocon Agreement

• As previously announced, Equillium had no further intention to continue development of itolizumab, therefore on September 30, 2025, Biocon and Equillium entered into an agreement to terminate their collaboration and license agreement and other agreements relating to itolizumab.

About EQ504

EQ504 is an investigational potent and selective aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) modulator designed with a multi-modal, non-immunosuppressive mechanism of action to be complementary to other inflammation and immunology agents. AhR is critical to barrier organ tissue physiology and immunology, maintaining barrier function and promoting tissue repair and regeneration, while regulating resident immune cells with anti-inflammatory responses. EQ504’s preclinical properties provide the potential for targeted, local delivery via enteric coating for the treatment of ulcerative colitis and pouchitis or inhaled formulations for the treatment of inflammatory lung diseases.

About Equillium

Equillium is a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging a deep understanding of immunobiology to develop novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. The Company’s pipeline consists of novel immunomodulatory assets and a product platform targeting immuno-inflammatory pathways.

For more information, visit www.equilliumbio.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking Statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate”, “believe”, “could”, “continue”, “expect”, “estimate”, “may”, “plan”, “outlook”, “future”, “potential” and “project” and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These statements include, but are not limited to, the Company’s plans and timing related to the development of EQ504, the potential benefits of EQ504, and the anticipated capital efficiency resulting from the announced changes. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of Equillium’s control, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: Equillium’s ability to execute its plans and strategies; risks related to performing clinical and pre-clinical studies; whether the results from clinical and pre-clinical studies will validate and support the safety and efficacy of EQ504; changes in the competitive landscape; and changes in Equillium’s strategic plans. These and other risks and uncertainties are described more fully under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in Equillium's filings and reports, which may be accessed for free by visiting the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website and on Equillium’s website under the heading “Investors.” Investors should take such risks into account and should not rely on forward-looking statements when making investment decisions. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Equillium undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.

Investor Contact
PJ Kelleher
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
+1-617-430-7579
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