April 10, 2025 – TheNewswire - Toronto, Ontario – Helix BioPharma Corp. (TSX: “HBP”, OTC PINK: “HBPCD”, FRANKFURT: “HBP0”) (“Helix” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage oncology company shaping a near future where today’s hard-to-treat cancers are vincible, today announced the appointment of Thomas Mehrling, MD, PhD as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) of the Company. A sharpening of Helix’s leadership structure, outgoing CEO, Jacek Antas, will dedicate his focus to his role as Chairman of the Company, and Dr. Mehrling, who has shaped Helix’s clinical strategy in his capacity as Chief Medical Officer (“CMO”), takes the helm to deliver on the Company’s ambitious clinical milestones planned for 2025 and beyond.
A distinguished Hemato-Oncologist and Pharmacologist with over 20 years of experience in pharmaceutical oncology, Dr. Mehrling has a proven track record of building successful, global oncology businesses and delivering transformative therapies to the market. As a key architect of Mundipharma International Ltd.’s European oncology business, Dr. Mehrling served as Head of Business Development (2000–2004), European Director of Oncology (2004-2011), and International Director of Oncology Strategy (2011-2013), introducing groundbreaking cancer drugs across Europe that achieved sales nearing USD 1 billion (DepoCyte® and Levact®, Ribomustin® and Treanda®). In 2013, he led the establishment and took the helm of Mundipharma EDO GmbH, a Swiss-based start-up within the Mundipharma Group dedicated to the development of highly selective inhibitors and targeted medicines for hematological malignancies and solid tumors. In 2019, he founded Laevoroc Medical AG, a privately held, Swiss oncology company, whose asset acquisition by Helix laid the foundations for a broader strategic collaboration between Dr. Mehrling and the Company. Prior to his tenure at Mundipharma, Dr. Mehrling served as Senior Vice President of global CRO Medical Affairs at Staticon International, and as Medical Leader at Takeda European R&D Center. Before his transition to the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Mehrling spent 13 years as an MD at the University Hospital in Frankfurt, where he earned his MD degree from the Department of Internal Medicine (Hemato-oncology and Cardiology) and his PhD in Pharmacology.
Dr. Mehrling, CEO of Helix, said “It’s something I’ve said before, and it’s worth repeating: Helix’s commitment to confronting cancer’s most urgent challenges, with smart innovation and rapid decision-making, is a cause I am deeply aligned with—and one I am honored to now lead as CEO. We plan to enter L-DOS47 with pembrolizumab into a Phase II study this year for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, with other clinical milestones to follow in 2026. We are currently preparing to close a financing deal that will enable us to launch the execution of this plan and to add top minds to our growing world-class team. It’s ambitious, and we are determined to deliver—patients have waited long enough.”
Chairman Jacek Antas added, “As Helix moves into its next phase of growth, we are laser-focused on building a resilient and agile internal organization to deliver on our ambitious roadmap. Thomas’ leadership and experience are exactly what the Company needs at this important juncture, and I look forward to working closely with him and the rest of our team to achieve our shared goals.”
About Helix BioPharma Corp.
Helix BioPharma is an oncology company shaping a near future where today’s hard-to-treat cancers are made vincible by novel therapies that rise to the challenge. The Company innovates from strength to tackle cancer’s biggest, most urgent challenges with a diverse pipeline of drug candidates with great potential and a head start, honed into first- and best-in-class oncology medicines. Its pipeline is spearheaded by a clinical-stage proprietary technology platform of bio-conjugates that score with precision against prevalent CEACAM6-expressing solid tumors. Its lead candidate, Tumour Defence Breaker™ L-DOS47, is a clinical-stage antibody-enzyme conjugate (AEC) that neutralizes the microenvironment of common, hard-to-treat solid tumors, taking the brakes off anti-cancer immunity and delivering a game-changing assist to today’s front-running anti-cancer therapies. L-DOS47 has completed Phase Ib studies in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with novel strategically designed bi-specific ADCs targeting CEACAM6 in discovery.
Helix is listed on the TSX under the symbol “HBP”, on OTC PINK under the symbol “HBPCD” and on FWB under the symbol “HBP0”. For more information, please visit: https://www.helixbiopharma.com/
For more information, please contact:
Helix BioPharma Corp.
Bay Adelaide Centre - North Tower
40 Temperance Street, Suite 2
Toronto, ON M5H 0B4
Tel: +1 857 208 7687
Jacek Antas, Director
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Forward-Looking Statements and Risks and Uncertainties
This news release contains certain statements regarding Helix BioPharma Corp. that constitute forward-looking statements and information (collectively, “forward looking statements”) as defined by Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements and information that are not historical facts but instead include statements regarding plans, goals, objectives, intentions and expectations with respect to the Company’s future business, operations, research and development, including the Company’s activities relating to its CEACAM6 platform, L-DOS47 and new asset transactions that Helix intends to close. Forward-looking statements can further be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “will”, “plans”, “expects”, or the negative thereof or any other variations thereon or comparable terminology referring to future events or results, or that events or conditions “will”, “may”, “could”, or “should” occur or be achieved, or comparable terminology referring to future events or results.
Forward-looking statements are statements about the future and are inherently uncertain and are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that are also uncertain. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward- looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Forward-looking statements are intended to provide information about management’s current plans and expectations regarding future operations and may not be appropriate for other purposes. Certain material factors, estimates or assumptions have been applied in making forward-looking statements in this news release. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements contained in this news release as a result of numerous known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including the risk factors discussed in the Company’s continuous disclosure record filed under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca from time to time. Forward-looking statements and information are based on the beliefs, assumptions, opinions and expectations of Helix’s management on the date of this new release, and the Company does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statement or information should those beliefs, assumptions, opinions or expectations, or other circumstances change, except as required.
