Appoints Barry Wolfenson, as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development

Appoints Alicia Torrenova, as Vice President of European Operations

Both bring extensive leadership experience and expertise in wound care and regenerative medicine

YAVNE, Israel, March 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediWound Ltd. (NASDAQ: MDWD) (the “Company”), a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company focused on next-generation biotherapeutic solutions for tissue repair and regeneration, today announced the appointment of Barry Wolfenson as Executive Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development. In this role, Mr. Wolfenson will be responsible for the Company’s global strategic plan, business development and initiatives to generate overall growth. MediWound also announced the appointment of Alicia Torrenova, as Vice President of European Operations.

“We are very pleased to welcome Barry and Alicia to the MediWound team. Both are seasoned veterans with over 20 years of relevant experience, including having held leadership roles in strategy planning, business and corporate development,” said Ofer Gonen, Chief Executive Officer of MediWound. “I am certain that their wound care and regenerative medicine experience will prove invaluable to MediWound as we advance our novel biotherapeutic solutions from development to commercialization.”

Mr. Wolfenson co-founded and is also CEO of vTail Healthcare Telecommunications, a healthcare-wide digital platform with an initial focus on the advanced wound care market. He also recently served as a key Strategic Advisor to Origin, Inc. on the development of their Phase III-ready IonoJet^TM technology with an initial indication of diabetic foot ulcers. Mr. Wolfenson is currently on the Board of Directors at SANO Diagnostics, after having served as their CEO. SANO Diagnostics is a point-of-care inflammation diagnostic platform with initial focus on chronic wounds. Mr. Wolfenson spent 13 years at Derma Sciences in roles of increasing responsibility, helping to build the company’s advanced wound care business prior to its acquisition by Integra Life Sciences. He began his career as an analyst at Accenture before moving on to roles at Bristol Myers Squibb. Mr. Wolfenson holds a Master of Business Administration from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, & Pre-Med from Franklin & Marshall College.

Ms.Torrenova has been appointed as Vice President of European Operations after having successfully overseen operations in Spain, Portugal and LATAM countries as a Business Unit Manager. Prior to MediWound, Ms. Torrenova was a Country Manager in Spain and Portugal for LifeCell, where she was responsible for introducing biological matrices for soft tissue repair. She began her career at Coloplast where she served as a marketing and sales manager working closely with surgeons, national patient collectives and marketing authorities launching and developing the market for breast cancer products. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from the Sorbonne University in Paris, and received a Master’s degree in Business Management and Sales from the CEF school of business in Madrid.

Mr. Wolfenson said, “I am excited to join the MediWound management team and be part of its exciting journey. I’ve been closely watching the company while their core technology has been in development, and am confident in MediWound’s tremendously promising future as it matures into a leading global biopharmaceutical company. I look forward to contributing to the Company’s success and continued growth.”

Ms. Torrenova added, “MediWound is at a very exciting point right now, and I look forward to leverage my experience as we continue this incredible transformation into a global biopharmaceutical company. Our growth in Europe will facilitate our evolution, and I look forward to further shaping MediWound’s already extraordinary success and growth together with my driven and committed colleagues.”

About MediWound

MediWound is a biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes novel, cost-effective, non-surgical, bio-therapeutic solutions for tissue repair and regeneration. Our strategy leverages our enzymatic technology platform, focused on next generation, bioactive therapies for burn care, wound care and tissue repair.

NexoBrid^® is our commercial orphan biological product for early non-surgical eschar removal of deep-partial and full-thickness thermal burns. It is a bromelain-based biological product containing a sterile mixture of proteolytic enzymes that selectively removes burn eschar within four hours without harming surrounding viable tissue. NexoBrid is currently marketed in the European Union, Japan, India, and other international markets, and recently received FDA approval for marketing in the U.S. NexoBrid is supported by the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

EscharEx^® is based on the same active pharmaceutical ingredient as NexoBrid. It is under development for the debridement of chronic and hard-to-heal wounds. Results from Phase 2 studies show that EscharEx is significantly more effective and faster than SOC or placebo control in debridement of Venous Leg Ulcers (VLUs) and Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFUs), with a good safety and tolerability profile. MediWound has discussions with the FDA regarding the EscharEx pivotal Phase 3 study design which is expected to be initiated in the second half of 2023.

MW005 is a topical biological drug under development for the treatment of low-risk Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC). In a Phase I/II open-label, multicenter, randomized clinical trial conducted in the U.S., MW005 was shown to be safe, well-tolerated, and an effective treatment for BCC with patients demonstrating complete clinical and histological clearance of target lesions. Study results are expected in 2023.

Committed to innovation, we are dedicated to improving the standard of care and enhancing patient lives. For more information, please visit www.mediwound.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

MediWound cautions you that all statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release that address activities, events, or developments that we expect, believe, or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Although we believe that we have a reasonable basis for the forward-looking statements contained herein, they are based on current expectations about future events affecting us and are subject to risks, assumptions, uncertainties, and factors, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control.  Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this press release.  These statements are often, but are not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “anticipates,” “intends,” “estimates,” “plans,” “expects,” “continues,” “believe,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “target,” “future,” “potential,” “goals” and similar words or phrases, or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “would,” “should,” “could,” “may,” or similar expressions. Specifically, this press release contains forward-looking statements concerning the anticipated progress, development, study design, expected data timing, objectives anticipated timelines, expectations and commercial potential of our products and product candidates. Among the factors that may cause results to be materially different from those stated herein are the inherent uncertainties associated with market acceptance of our products and product candidates; the uncertain, lengthy and expensive nature of the product development process; the timing and conduct of our studies of our products and product candidates, including the timing, progress and results of current and future clinical studies, and our research and development programs; the approval of regulatory submission by the FDA, the European Medicines Agency or by any other regulatory authority, our ability to obtain marketing approval of our products and product candidates in the U.S. or other markets; the clinical utility, potential advantages and timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals of our products and products; our expectations regarding future growth, including our ability to develop new products; risks related to our contracts with BARDA; our ability to maintain adequate protection of our intellectual property; competition risks; the need for additional financing; the impact of government laws and regulations and the impact of the current global macroeconomic climate on our ability to source supplies for our operations or our ability or capacity to manufacture, sell and support the use of our products and product candidates in the future.

These and other significant factors are discussed in greater detail in MediWound’s annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on March 17, 2022, quarterly Reports of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K and other filings with the SEC from time-to-time. These forward-looking statements reflect MediWound’s current views as of the date hereof and MediWound undertakes, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect a change in their respective views or events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release except as required by law.