Lutris Pharma, an Israel-based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, announced on Monday that it has named Moshe 'Mori' Arkin as its new director.

Arkin is a life sciences and pharmaceutical entrepreneur and founder and chairman of Arkin Holdings. As of today, he owns a healthcare portfolio worth USD1.5bn through five investment arms, with holdings in some 20 Israeli companies developing pharmaceutical drugs and equipment. He has led Agis Industries Ltd. and has served in leadership roles in various companies with significant ties to innovative and generic drug companies.

Antoni Ribas, MD., PhD, Lutris Pharma chairman and founder, said, 'Mori is one of Israel's most successful life sciences and pharmaceutical entrepreneurs with an extraordinary background spanning decades in the industry. Arkin Bio Ventures has been an investor in Lutris Pharma since its inception and has been a steadfast supporter of the company, ever since. We look forward to leveraging Mori's vast drug development and business expertise as we continue to advance our lead asset, LUT014, a novel topically applied B-Raf inhibitor which recently received Orphan Drug Designation from the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of EGFR (Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor) inhibitor induced acneiform rash.'