--- title: "Hepion signs separation agreement with former CEO Kaouthar Lbiati" url: "https://aibio.space/news/hepion-signs-separation-agreement-former-ceo-kaouthar-lbiati/" publisher: "aibio.space (Biotech Investor Relations News)" date: "2026-04-13" section: "Company Updates" tickers: "OTC:HEPA" source: "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1583771/000149315226016557/form8-k.htm" summary: "The April 13, 2026 agreement provides $225,000 and a pro-rata bonus of $30,625, plus six months of COBRA reimbursement. Dr. Lbiati also left the board that" --- By the aibio.space news desk. Sources - [Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 8-K (2026-04-14)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1583771/000149315226016557/form8-k.htm) - [Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 10-K (2026-03-12): business](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1583771/000149315226009755/form10-k.htm) - [Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. financial data (SEC XBRL)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1583771/000149315226009755/) [HEPA](https://aibio.space/companies/hepion-pharmaceuticals/) 2026-04-13 # Hepion signs separation agreement with former CEO Kaouthar Lbiati Tickers [HEPA](https://aibio.space/companies/hepion-pharmaceuticals/) The April 13, 2026 agreement provides $225,000 and a pro-rata bonus of $30,625, plus six months of COBRA reimbursement. Dr. Lbiati also left the board that day. ## Key facts - **Company**: Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OTC: HEPA) - **News type**: Company Updates - **Primary source**: [Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 8-K (2026-04-14)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1583771/000149315226016557/form8-k.htm) *A researcher at a microscope workstation. Photo: U.S. Department of Energy, CC0, via rawpixel. The picture shows the field, not the companies named.* Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. entered into a separation agreement with Dr. Kaouthar Lbiati, its former chief executive officer, on April 13, 2026. The company reported the agreement in a Form 8-K filed on April 14, 2026. The filing also says Dr. Lbiati resigned as a director on April 13, 2026. The 8-K is signed by Gary Stetz, Interim Chief Executive Officer. ## The separation terms The company had previously disclosed on March 16, 2026, that Dr. Lbiati resigned as chief executive officer for personal reasons. Under the separation agreement, she will be paid $225,000 and $30,625, which the filing describes as the pro-rata portion of her potential cash bonus. The company will also reimburse her COBRA payments for six months. Dr. Lbiati agreed to a general release as part of the agreement. The 8-K reports the agreement under Item 1.01 and reports her board resignation under Item 5.02. The filing does not name a successor chief executive officer. Gary Stetz continues to sign the company's filings as Interim Chief Executive Officer. ## The company and its history Hepion's annual report on Form 10-K, filed March 12, 2026, describes the company as a medical diagnostic company headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey. It was previously focused on drug therapy for chronic liver diseases. Its lead molecule, rencofilstat, formerly CRV431, was a cyclophilin inhibitor. The company wound down the ASCEND-NASH trial beginning April 19, 2024, because it did not have access to sufficient funding to complete the study. The trial closed in August 2024. The company has since licensed diagnostic tests and diagnostic assets from third parties, according to the 10-K. The 10-K also gives the terms of the New Day license. The company paid $525,000 in cash and $270,629 in shares of common stock, with up to $17.15 million in milestone payments and royalties on net sales in the upper single to low double digits. The company recorded an impairment loss of $402,746 on the New Day assets after projecting that cash flows over the first two years would not recover the allocated cost. The 10-K says the company has no commercialization or sales and marketing capabilities and no plans to build them internally. It also says the company does not own or operate any facilities in which it can formulate and manufacture its product candidates. Under the Cirna license, the company will pay up to $2,350,000 in milestone payments, up to $4,500,000 in sales milestone payments and a royalty on net sales in the low single digits, plus certain patent expenses. The 10-K also describes the Panetta contingent value right tied to rencofilstat. It lists $500,000 on FDA approval of a first new drug application for rencofilstat, $1,000,000 on first net sales of a licensed product above US$350,000,000, and $3,000,000 on net sales above US$750,000,000. ## Financial position Financial data tagged in the company's SEC filings show research and development expense of $445,512 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, compared with $11.8 million for 2024. Net income (loss) was negative $8.3 million for 2025 and negative $13.2 million for 2024. Cash from operations was negative $3.3 million for 2025 and negative $18.2 million for 2024. The sources available at the filing date give no year-end cash or cash equivalents balance. The separation pays the departing chief executive $225,000 plus $30,625 as a pro-rata bonus, plus six months of COBRA, from a company that used $3.3 million in operations in 2025 and says it has no sales capability. The filing gives no reason beyond the earlier statement of personal reasons and names no permanent successor, so an interim chief executive is still running a company that wound down its lead trial. [Report an error](https://aibio.space/reputation/#correction) ## Companies in this story HEPA Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 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Cite as: aibio.space, "Hepion signs separation agreement with former CEO Kaouthar Lbiati", 2026-04-13, https://aibio.space/news/hepion-signs-separation-agreement-former-ceo-kaouthar-lbiati/