Allegro appoints life sciences veteran as Chief Operating Officer to advance osteoarthritis treatment

• Stephan Crokaert, formerly of NeoMedLight, Abbott, Adagio and Boston Scientific, brings more than 35 years of strategic and commercial experience in life sciences
• Allegro prepares to advance lead product hydrocelin into clinical trials in 2026

Liege, Belgium – 3 September 2025 (08:30) – Allegro NV, a biomedical company developing transformative nanotechnology-based treatments for degenerative joint disease, has appointed Stephan Crokaert into the role of Chief Operating Officer as of this month. The new position strengthens the company’s management team and sharpens Allegro’s focus on the clinical and commercial development of hydrocelin, which has the potential to become a first-in-class disease-modifying, minimally invasive, injectable treatment for osteoarthritis.

“We are pleased to welcome such an experienced life science professional as Stephan Crokaert to the management team. Stephan’s appointment comes at a crucial moment for Allegro, as we prepare our potential first-in-class treatment for osteoarthritis, hydrocelin, for clinical trials,” said Lucas Decuypere, CEO at Allegro. “Osteoarthritis is a serious disease that can lead to social isolation and mental health problems. We aim to give freedom of mobility back to the hundreds of millions of people around the world suffering from osteoarthritis.”

Mr Crokaert brings more than 35 years of experience in life sciences, with a focus on medical devices. Most recently, he served as Global Sales and Market Director at medical device start-up NeoMedLight, where he was integral in the establishment and delivery of a global commercial network. Prior to that, he served in senior leadership roles at Abbott and Adagio.

“I am delighted to join the driven and successful team at Allegro. I’m looking forward to using the experience I built up over a career spanning 30 years in international leadership roles to advance the company’s promising technology and bring an innovative first-in-class treatment for osteoarthritis to market, with the potential to help millions of patients,” said Stephan Crokaert, Chief Operating Officer at Allegro.

In July, Allegro successfully raised €2 million in new funding, showing the strong commitment of core investors. Allegro will use the proceeds to prepare hydrocelin for a feasibility study in patients with osteoarthritis in 2026, which will be followed by a global registrational trial.  In August, the company completed the installation of a manufacturing device in a cleanroom at its own facilities, which is scalable to up to 15,000 prefilled syringes per batch.

Allegro’s hydrocelin contains cross-linked microparticles that are designed to act as tiny shock absorbers in the synovial fluid of joints affected by osteoarthritis. Restoring the shock-absorbing capacity of the synovial fluid is intended to provide pain relief and protect cartilage. The product is designed to be administered by injection once yearly. In April, Allegro presented positive preclinical data demonstrating the satisfactory safety profile of hydrocelin at the World Congress on Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (WCO) in Rome. In addition to this pyrogenicity study, the company has also found a satisfactory safety record in preclinical studies assessing irritation, delayed sensitization and systemic toxicity.

About Allegro NV
Allegro is a private biomedical company developing transformative treatments for degenerative joint diseases based on its proprietary nanotechnology platform, INTRICATE. The company’s lead product candidate, hydrocelin (ALG-001), is a potential first-in-class, disease-modifying candidate for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Allegro is preparing hydrocelin for clinical studies in humans later this year, and for a commercial launch in 2027.

For more information please visit www.allegro.bio.

Important information
The contents of this announcement include statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words "believes", "estimates," "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will", "plans", "continue", "ongoing", "potential", "predict", "project", "target", "seek" or "should", and include statements the Company makes concerning the intended results of its strategy. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. The company's actual results may differ materially from those predicted by the forward-looking statements. The company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

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• 20250903 Allegro PR Crokaert (final)

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