HighTide Therapeutics appoints Dr. Filip Surmont as Chief Medical Officer to strengthen its Cardiorenal Metabolic (CKM) disease strategy

HighTide Therapeutics (2511.HK), an innovative drug company focused on developing multifunctional therapies to address unmet clinical needs in chronic metabolic diseases, today announced the appointment of Dr. Filip Surmont as Chief Medical Officer. He will be fully responsible for the company’s medical strategy, clinical development, and related medical affairs, supporting the R&D progress and value enhancement of the company's core pipeline in the cardiorenal metabolic (CKM) disease field.

Dr. Filip Surmont has over 30 years of extensive experience in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, including 18 years in leadership roles at multinational pharmaceutical companies and 16 years of clinical practice. He is a globally recognized industry leader in the fields of cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal diseases, having held senior medical leadership positions at multinational pharmaceutical companies such as Wyeth, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca. He has led medical affairs across various regions, including emerging markets, Latin America, Europe, the US, and China, successfully building high-performing teams within complex global healthcare systems and driving multiple clinical practice transformations.

Dr. Filip Surmont has achieved remarkable success throughout his career. He played a key role in making dapagliflozin a blockbuster drug; he also led the 'ACT on HF' project in China, benefiting 200,000 heart failure patients through guideline-recommended standard treatment. The 'Anti-Inflammatory Relief (AIR)' strategy he pioneered for asthma has impacted approximately 50 million patients globally and contributed to updates in international treatment guidelines. As an internationally authoritative medical expert, Dr. Filip Surmont has long been dedicated to research on metabolism and cardiovascular-related diseases, accumulating significant academic recognition with numerous studies published in top-tier journals such as 'The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology' and 'Journal of the American College of Cardiology.' Early in his career, Dr. Filip Surmont provided medical services to Olympic-level athletes. He holds a Doctor of Medicine degree and a Master’s degree in Sports Medicine from Ghent University in Belgium.

Dr. Liping Liu, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of HighTide Therapeutics, stated:“We warmly welcome Dr. Filip Surmont to officially join HighTide Therapeutics as our Chief Medical Officer. He brings extensive global experience, exceptional medical leadership, and industry-recognized success in the fields of cardiovascular, metabolic, and renal diseases. We believe that Dr. Filip Surmont’s addition will further enhance the company’s medical and clinical development capabilities, support the clinical development and global collaboration of our core pipeline in the CKM field, and inject strong momentum into the company’s next phase of growth.”

Filip Surmont, Chief Medical Officer of Junshi Tai Pharmaceuticals, stated:I am honored to join Junshi Tai Pharmaceuticals. The company's R&D strategy and pipeline layout in the field of metabolic diseases, particularly the clinical potential of its core product in CKM, align closely with the unmet medical needs of global chronic metabolic conditions. I look forward to collaborating closely with the team to advance the value transformation of the company’s innovative drugs, providing new treatment options for CKM patients worldwide.