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Source: ContraFect Corporation

ContraFect Appoints Lisa Ricciardi as Chief Operating Officer

YONKERS, N.Y., Oct. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ContraFect Corporation (NASDAQ:CFRX), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of protein and antibody therapeutics for life-threatening, drug-resistant infectious diseases, today announces that it has expanded its senior management team with the appointment of Lisa Ricciardi as Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. Ms. Ricciardi will continue to serve in her role as a director of ContraFect.

“Lisa has a unique blend of commercial, business development and overall operational experience that will be extremely helpful to ContraFect as our internal pipeline programs advance towards commercialization and we continue to evaluate business development strategies to accelerate value creation," said Steven C. Gilman, Ph.D., ContraFect's Chairman and CEO. "Lisa has been a valuable member of our Board of Directors since she joined in February, and we look forward to having her contribute full-time to support the continued growth of ContraFect."

Ms. Ricciardi commented, "I believe ContraFect has one of the most compelling new technologies in development to address the problem of antibiotic resistance.  I am pleased to join a management team which has extensive experience in the development and commercialization of new antibiotic treatments.”

Ms. Ricciardi is a Life Sciences executive with deep business development and operational experience at leading pharmaceutical, payer, and molecular diagnostics firms. She has previously served as Senior Vice President, Global Corporate & Business Development at Foundation Medicine and Senior Vice President, US and International Business Development at Medco Health Solutions, Inc., and was also a Venture Partner at Essex Woodlands Health Ventures.  Ms. Ricciardi also held several senior management positions at Pfizer.  As a commercial executive at Pfizer, Lisa was responsible for launching three drugs and growing franchises in cardiovascular disease, arthritis/rheumatology, and anti-infectives. Most notably, Lisa ran the anti-infectives commercial franchise at Pfizer and oversaw the launch of both Zithromax and Trovan. As Senior Vice President in the Licensing and Development Division at Pfizer, she closed more than 25 transactions with multi-national firms and biotechnology companies. 

Ms. Ricciardi currently serves on the board United Drug Healthcare Group, PLC, and was a prior board member Chimerix Inc. as well as Sepracor Inc., which was sold to Dainippon Sumitomo for $2.6 billion.

About ContraFect:

ContraFect is a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing therapeutic protein and antibody products for life-threatening, drug-resistant infectious diseases, particularly those treated in hospital settings. An estimated 700,000 deaths worldwide each year are attributed to antimicrobial-resistant infections. We intend to address life threatening infections using our therapeutic product candidates from our lysin and monoclonal antibody platforms to target conserved regions of either bacteria or viruses (regions that are not prone to mutation). ContraFect's initial product candidates include new agents to treat antibiotic-resistant infections such as MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staph aureus) and influenza. The Company’s lead lysin, CF-301, is currently being studied in a Phase 2 multicenter, multinational, randomized, controlled clinical trial in patients with Staph aureus bacteremia including endocarditis. ContraFect is also conducting research focused on the discovery of lysins to target Gram-negative bacteria.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains, and our officers and representatives may make from time to time, “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the U.S. federal securities laws.  Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “projects,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “intends,” “plans,” “potential,” “promise” or similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements in this release include, without limitation, statements regarding our ability to discover and develop protein and antibody therapeutics for life-threatening, drug-resistant infectious diseases, Ms. Ricciardi’s experience and her ability to support the continued growth of ContraFect, the management team’s experience in the development and commercialization of new antibiotic treatments, our ability to address life threatening infections using our therapeutic product candidates from our lysin and monoclonal antibody platforms to target conserved regions of either bacteria or viruses, whether our initial product candidates can treat antibiotic-resistant infections such as MRSA and influenza, and our ability to discover lysins targeting Gram-negative bacteria. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts, nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are based on ContraFect’s current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of its business, future plans, strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond ContraFect’s control, including those detailed in ContraFect's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ include, among others, our ability to develop treatments for drug-resistant infectious diseases. Any forward-looking statement made by ContraFect in this press release is based only on information currently available and speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as required by applicable law, ContraFect expressly disclaims any obligations to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Investor Relations Contact

Paul Boni 
ContraFect Corporation 
Tel: 914-207-2300
Email: pboni@contrafect.com