Hepion Pharmaceuticals acquires Gravitas Life Sciences, installs new CEO

Hepion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. said on October 6, 2026, it entered into a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement with Gravitas Life Sciences, LLC and Gravitas Collective Corp., the sole member of GLS, to acquire all outstanding membership interests of GLS.¹ At closing the same day, the sole member received $2,000,000 in cash and 25,000,000 shares of Hepion common stock, equal to $2,250,000 divided by the buyer closing stock price.¹ The agreement capped total stock issuance at 19.99% of Hepion's outstanding shares, with any shortfall settled in cash.¹ Hepion also paid an additional $135,000 to the sole member.¹

As part of the closing, Hepion, GLS, the sole member and Canton Strategic Holdings, Inc. executed a payoff letter under which Hepion paid Canton $1,000,000 and GLS paid $125,000 toward an outstanding promissory note dated July 17, 2026.¹ As a result of the closing, GLS became a wholly owned subsidiary of Hepion.¹

The filing noted that four current Hepion directors, Vincent LoPriore, Gary Stetz, Sireesh Appajosyula and Chase LoPriore, are officers of GLS and shareholders of the sole member, making the transaction a related party transaction.¹ Hepion obtained a fairness opinion from Ryan Valuation Services stating the purchase consideration was fair to the company and its stockholders.¹

GLS is described as a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapeutic candidates in immunology and inflammation.¹ Its pipeline includes GV104, a buccal film formulation of nalmefene for which the FDA approved an IND in February 2023¹, and GV023, an oral infliximab formulation licensed from Intract Pharma Limited and currently in preclinical development.¹

Separately, on October 9, 2026, Hepion's board appointed Gary Stetz as Chief Financial Officer and Sireesh Appajosyula, PharmD, former CEO of GLS, as Chief Executive Officer, effective that date.¹