Helus Pharma Appoints Former Pfizer Chief Medical Officer Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall to Board of Directors & Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee

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This news release constitutes a “designated news release” for the purpose of the Company’s prospectus supplement dated December 30, 2025, to it short form base shelf prospectus dated September 17, 2025, as amended on December 19, 2025.

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NEW YORK and TORONTO, Feb. 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Helus Pharma™ (Nasdaq: HELP) (Cboe CA: HELP), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing NSAs for serious mental health conditions, today announced the appointment of Dr. Freda Lewis-Hall, DFAPA, MFPM, to its Board of Directors. Dr. Lewis-Hall will also serve as Chair of the Company’s Scientific Advisory Committee.

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Dr. Lewis-Hall is a pioneering physician and biopharmaceutical executive with more than 40 years of experience spanning clinical care, research, academia, corporate leadership, and public health advocacy. She began her medical career as a practicing psychiatrist, focusing on the impact of mental illness on families and communities.

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She later held senior leadership roles across the biopharmaceutical industry, including serving for more than a decade on Pfizer’s Executive Leadership Team as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer. In that role, she led a global medical organization operating in more than 125 countries and supporting a broad portfolio of medicines and vaccines. She subsequently served as Chief Patient Officer, advancing patient engagement, inclusion, and health equity initiatives across the enterprise. During her tenure, she also helped lead the spinout of SpringWorks Therapeutics and served on its Board of Directors, guiding the company through regulatory approvals and its evolution into a commercial-stage organization prior to its acquisition by Merck KGaA for approximately $3.4 billion. Dr. Lewis-Hall has also held senior leadership positions at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pharmacia Corporation, and Eli Lilly and Company.

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Dr. Lewis-Hall is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and previously served as Vice Chairperson and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University College of Medicine. She has also advised the National Institute of Mental Health.

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“Dr. Lewis-Hall is a highly respected physician and leader whose career has been defined by bringing complex, innovative therapies from development to patients around the world, particularly in areas of serious and underserved mental health need,” said Michael Cola, Chief Executive Officer of the Company. “Her deep experience in clinical strategy, regulatory engagement, and global commercialization will be invaluable as we advance our novel serotonergic agonist programs for psychiatric disorders and continue building a company grounded in scientific rigor, patient impact, and responsible scale. We are honored to welcome her to our Board and as Chair overseeing the Scientific Advisory Committee.”

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“Throughout my career, I have focused on ensuring that scientific innovation translates into therapies that make a meaningful difference for patients — and that can be delivered reliably within real-world healthcare systems,” said Dr. Lewis-Hall. “What distinguishes Helus Pharma is its disciplined approach at the intersection of rigorous science, a thoughtfully advancing clinical portfolio, and focused execution in areas of significant unmet need in mental health. I believe the company is building a differentiated development platform that has yet to be fully recognized by the broader market.”