EIT Pharma is a biotechnology company focused on advancing therapies for infectious diseases with significant unmet medical needs. The company is developing a portfolio of programs to address serious infectious diseases through rigorous science, disciplined execution, and a patient-centered approach that translates scientific innovation into meaningful real-world impact. Its lead program is Jitixib, or lonafarnib, an investigational oral therapeutic candidate in late-stage development for chronic hepatitis D, and the company is also advancing peginterferon lambda for severe acute viral respiratory infections. Pulse 2.0 interviewed EIT Pharma CEO Leen Kawas to learn more about the company’s strategy, its clinical programs, and its approach to building a biotechnology company around therapies with substantial existing scientific and clinical evidence.
Kawas brings more than a decade of biotechnology leadership experience spanning drug development, operations, clinical strategy, regulatory frameworks, financing, and company building. In 2022, she co-founded Propel Bio Partners with Richard Kayne and continues to serve as Managing General Partner. She previously led a biopharmaceutical company focused on neurodegenerative diseases, advancing multiple late-stage clinical programs and taking the company public in a September 2020 IPO that raised more than $400 million. Kawas holds a Ph.D. in pharmacology from Washington State University and a pharmacy degree from the University of Jordan, and she serves on the boards of Inherent Biosciences and Persephone Biosciences.
Leen Kawas’ Background
When asked about her background and how she got to where she is today, Kawas shared:
I began my career as a pharmacist, working directly with patients.
Those experiences made me want to do more, and I initially saw research as the path to having a broader impact.
Research is essential to discovering new therapies, but I came to understand that scientific progress alone is not enough to bring them to patients.
That realization led me into entrepreneurship and business.
One of the biggest revelations of my career has been understanding how much thoughtful business leadership matters in translating promising science into life-changing treatments.
What I enjoy most is connecting scientific, development, and business decisions while keeping the whole company in view.
For me, that means advancing therapies with a clear understanding of patient needs, the evidence, and the resources required, while building a company with the stability and continuity to see that work through.
How EIT Pharma Started And Kawas’ Responsibilities
When asked how the idea for EIT Pharma came together and about her responsibilities today, Kawas explained:
EIT Pharma came together around a clear opportunity: to take promising therapies with substantial clinical evidence and give them the focused leadership, resources, and development strategy needed to move toward patients.
Our business model is to acquire or license clinically advanced programs in areas of high unmet need, build on the work already completed, and align the scientific, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercial decisions required to advance them.
Dr. Jeffrey Glenn, our scientific founder, is central to that story.
His pioneering discovery of the role of prenylation in the hepatitis D virus, or HDV, lifecycle established the scientific rationale for using lonafarnib in HDV, and he helped lead its development from clinical proof of concept through Phase 3.
EIT Pharma builds on that scientific foundation with a renewed commitment to translating it into a treatment option for patients.
As CEO, my responsibility is to bring those pieces together: setting the company’s strategy, building the team and partnerships, securing capital, and overseeing execution across development, regulatory, manufacturing, and commercial readiness.
What I enjoy most is connecting those decisions, so that we are not simply advancing individual studies, but building a sustainable company capable of carrying these therapies through to approval and patient access.
Favorite Memory
When asked about one of her favorite memories since starting EIT Pharma, Kawas recalled:
One of my favorite memories since starting EIT Pharma was presenting the lonafarnib data, including our new analyses, to physicians, patients, and the Hepatitis B Foundation.
Seeing their engagement and excitement was a powerful reminder of why this work matters and what a new treatment option could mean to the people waiting for it.
Those conversations drive us at EIT Pharma, and they are personally what I find most energizing.
Connecting the science to the people it could help gives our work a deeper sense of purpose, and I wake up each day more determined to bring therapies to patients in need.
Core Pipeline And Programs
When asked about EIT Pharma’s core products or programs, Kawas explained:
Because we are a biotechnology company, I would describe what we offer in terms of our pipeline rather than products or features.
Our focus is on advancing therapies for serious viral diseases where patients need more treatment options.
Our lead program is Jitixib, or lonafarnib, the only oral therapeutic candidate in late-stage development for chronic hepatitis D.
What makes it particularly compelling is its distinct mechanism: it inhibits farnesyltransferase, targeting a process the virus relies on to assemble new viral particles.
The program has completed the largest chronic hepatitis D study to date, a Phase 3 D-LIVR study, which evaluated lonafarnib with ritonavir, both with and without peginterferon alfa.
It remains investigational for hepatitis D, but its oral administration and differentiated mechanism make it an important potential addition to the treatment landscape.
We are also advancing peginterferon lambda for severe acute viral respiratory infections.
Together, these programs reflect our broader ambition: to build on substantial scientific and clinical work and translate it into meaningful treatment options for patients.
When evaluating a potential therapy, I think it is important to look beyond whether a drug works in a clinical study.
We also have to think about how a treatment may eventually fit into a patient’s life.
How is it administered? How difficult is it to stay on treatment? What is the burden on the patient?
These considerations are particularly important when treating chronic diseases.
Navigating Funding And Development Challenges
When asked about some of the biggest challenges she has faced in the biotechnology sector and how she has addressed them, Kawas said:
One of the biggest challenges has been securing funding in a highly specialized industry, particularly as a woman building and leading biotechnology companies.
For me, navigating that has required persistence: speaking with many investors, building relationships, expanding my network, and connecting with specialized investors who understand both the science and the realities of drug development.
I have learned to listen carefully, refine how I communicate the opportunity, and stay committed without expecting every conversation to lead to an investment.
Another challenge is managing the setbacks that inevitably arise on the path toward potential regulatory approval.
I try to approach each setback as an opportunity to learn, reassess our assumptions, and improve our development strategy.
That does not mean minimizing the difficulty or pushing ahead regardless of the evidence.
It means remaining committed to the goal while being willing to adapt the path, so that each challenge helps us become more thoughtful, disciplined, and effective.
How The Company’s Development Strategy Has Evolved
When asked how EIT Pharma’s technology and development efforts have evolved since launch, Kawas explained:
Since launching EIT Pharma in early 2025, our progress has been less about changing the underlying technology and more about translating the science into a clear path forward.
Within 18 months, we submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA for lonafarnib and presented several new analyses from the Phase 3 D-LIVR study, deepening our understanding of its potential role in treating chronic hepatitis D.
In parallel, we are preparing to launch a new clinical trial for peginterferon lambda with global collaborators.
We are also building the team, systems, and operational infrastructure needed to support a potential commercial launch of lonafarnib next year, subject to regulatory approval.
For me, that evolution reflects what EIT Pharma was built to do: connect scientific evidence with the execution needed to bring therapies closer to patients.
Key Company Milestones
When asked about the milestones she is most proud of, Kawas said:
The milestones I am most proud of are those that bring us closer to making a meaningful difference in patients’ lives.
Continuing to advance therapies that I believe have that potential, despite the challenges along the way, is deeply rewarding.
Whether it is a regulatory submission, a new clinical insight, or preparing for the next trial, I see each milestone as a step toward that larger purpose.
What matters most to me is that we keep making thoughtful, evidence-driven progress for the people who are waiting for more treatment options.
Patient Impact
When asked about examples of impact, Kawas explained:
We are still a precommercial company, so I would not describe our impact in terms of customer success stories yet.
What I can share is how meaningful our conversations with patients have been.
Hearing about their experiences has reinforced the significant unmet need in chronic hepatitis D, and their interest in the possibility of an oral treatment has stayed with me.
Those conversations remind us that behind every study and regulatory milestone are people waiting for more options.
Lonafarnib remains investigational for hepatitis D, and approval is not guaranteed, but that patient perspective strengthens our determination to do the rigorous, thoughtful work needed to give the program its best opportunity to reach them.
Funding
When asked about funding, Kawas shared:
We recently closed an oversubscribed $35 million Series A financing led by Propel Bio Partners, with participation from Good Ventures, Arrowtown Capital, and other investors.
Hepatitis D Market Opportunity
When asked about EIT Pharma’s total addressable market, Kawas said:
I tend to think about this question first in terms of patients rather than market size.
For hepatitis D, approximately 12 million people are estimated to be affected globally, including roughly 70,000 to 150,000 people in the United States.
It is a serious disease that can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and other complications, and there is currently no FDA-approved oral treatment in the U.S.
Those numbers help illustrate the unmet need.
Of course, biotechnology companies need to understand the commercial opportunity for the therapies they develop, but the starting point for us is identifying diseases where patients still need better options.
Competitive Differentiation
When asked what differentiates EIT Pharma from its competitors, Kawas explained:
I think one difference is how we define innovation.
There is tremendous value in discovering new molecules and new technologies, but there can also be value in identifying promising science that has not yet reached its full potential.
That requires a somewhat different mindset.
You have to understand what has already been done, what the data is telling you, what may have prevented the program from progressing before, and whether there is a credible path forward.
We also try to keep the patient perspective present in those decisions.
A therapy can be scientifically interesting, but ultimately we have to ask whether it can meaningfully improve the way a disease is treated.
Future Goals
When asked about her goals for EIT Pharma over the next several years, Kawas explained:
Our immediate priority is advancing lonafarnib through the regulatory process and preparing for potential commercialization, subject to approval.
In parallel, we are focused on developing peginterferon lambda for viral respiratory tract infections and exploring its potential relevance to pandemic preparedness.
Over the next few years, my goal is to build EIT Pharma into a commercial-stage company with a broader, carefully selected pipeline.
I believe there are promising therapies that, for a variety of reasons, are not moving toward patients as effectively as they could.
Our opportunity is to identify where our scientific expertise, development capabilities, and business discipline can make a meaningful difference.
Growth alone is not the goal.
I want every program in our pipeline to have a clear reason for being at EIT Pharma: a meaningful patient need, a sound scientific rationale, and a credible path forward that our team can help execute.
Supporting Women In Biotech And Patient-Centered Drug Development
When invited to discuss additional topics, Kawas highlighted supporting women in biotechnology and ensuring patient needs remain central throughout drug development:
One topic I would welcome the opportunity to discuss is support for women in biotech.
I care deeply about expanding access to funding, leadership opportunities, mentorship, and networks for women building companies in this sector.
I would also welcome the opportunity to discuss what it truly means to put patients at the center of drug development.
For me, a patient-centered approach means thinking beyond how a drug works.
It also means considering whether its product profile fits into patients’ lives, how it will be administered, and whether reimbursement, affordability, or other practical barriers could prevent people from receiving it.
Those questions should inform development decisions from the beginning, not become an afterthought at commercialization.
Ultimately, our responsibility is not simply to develop a therapy or achieve approval.
It is to work toward a future in which the patients who need that therapy can realistically access and use it.
