• Sam Chawla, of Perceptive Advisors, to resign from VBI Board of Directors
  • Tomer Kariv, Chairman and CEO of The Pontifax Group, to replace Ran Nussbaum on VBI’s Board of Directors

VBI Vaccines Inc. (Nasdaq: VBIV) (TSX:VBV) (VBI), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation infectious disease and immuno-oncology vaccines, today announced two changes to its Board of Directors effective January 23, 2018 – the resignation of Sam Chawla, a portfolio manager at Perceptive Advisors, and a change of representation from The Pontifax Group, with the nomination of Tomer Kariv, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Pontifax Group, to replace Ran Nussbaum, managing partner and co-founder of The Pontifax Group.

“I have enjoyed the opportunity of serving on the Board of VBI over the past few years, and I believe the company is well-equipped to continue to achieve their business objectives,” said Sam Chawla. “My decision is based on increased demands on my time elsewhere, but I have every confidence in VBI’s leadership and wish the team all the best as they build an exciting future for VBI and its many shareholders.”

“On behalf of everyone at VBI, I want to thank Sam for his leadership and service to our board,” said Jeff Baxter, VBI’s president and CEO. “Sam, as a representative of Perceptive Advisors, our largest shareholder, has been an instrumental member of our board for more than three and a half years. We have benefitted greatly from Sam’s deep experience and perspective, and we wish him every success as he dedicates his time to new projects. We look forward to a continued strong and strategic relationship with Perceptive Advisors.”

Pursuant to the company’s board meeting on Tuesday, January 23, 2018, Tomer Kariv replaces Ran Nussbaum as The Pontifax Group’s board appointee.

Jeff Baxter further commented, “We would like to thank Ran for his brief, but dynamic, service to VBI and we are honored to welcome Tomer to our Board of Directors. Tomer’s broad management experience will complement the existing expertise on our Board, and his appointment will continue to strengthen VBI’s relationships with Israeli strategic investors.”

In addition to his role at The Pontifax Group, Mr. Kariv also serves as an active board member of many of the funds’ portfolio companies. Mr. Kariv holds a B.A. in Economics from Harvard University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.