UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO
RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16
UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of May 2026
Commission file number: 001-37891
AC IMMUNE SA
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
EPFL Innovation Park
Building B
1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files
or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
On May 12, 2026, AC Immune SA (the “AC Immune”)
issued a press release containing updates with respect to the retirement of its Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) at AC Immune’s
next Annual General Meeting (“AGM”). A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Report on Form 6-K.
Retirement of CEO
At AC Immune’s next AGM to be held on June
11, 2026, Dr Andrea Pfeifer has decided to retire from her role as CEO after 23 years at AC Immune to spend more time with her family.
Dr Pfeifer’s decision to retire was not because of a disagreement with AC Immune on any matter relating to AC Immune’s operations,
policies, or practices. AC Immune thanks Dr Pfeifer sincerely for her contributions to AC Immune over her years of service and wishes
her well in her future endeavors. Dr Pfeifer will be engaged as an Advisor to facilitate the transition and will be appointed as Honorary
Chair of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) and Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. The Board has appointed a leading
industry consultant to conduct the CEO search.
Appointment of Interim CEO
The Board has appointed the Chair, Dr Martin Zügel,
to serve as interim CEO while the ongoing search for a permanent successor continues. Dr. Zügel has served as Chair of the Board
since 2025, a position which will not change as a result of his appointment as interim CEO. For Dr. Zügel’s full bio, see the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC on March 13, 2026, under the heading “Item 6. Directors, Senior Management
and Employees”.
This Report on Form 6-K (excluding Exhibit 99.1)
shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference into the registration statements on Form F-3 (File Nos. 333-227016, 333-249655 and 333-277940)
and Form S-8 (File Nos. 333-213865, 333-216539 and 333-233019) of AC Immune SA and to be a part thereof from the date on which this report
is filed, to the extent not superseded by documents or reports subsequently filed or furnished.
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit
Number |
|
Description |
| 99.1 |
|
Press Release dated May 12, 2026 |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto
duly authorized.
| |
AC IMMUNE SA |
| |
|
| |
By: |
/s/ Andrea Pfeifer |
| |
|
Name: Andrea Pfeifer |
| |
|
Title: Chief Executive Officer |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
By: |
/s/ Christopher Roberts |
| |
|
Name: Christopher Roberts |
| |
|
Title: Chief Financial Officer |
| |
|
|
|
Date: May 12, 2026
|
|
|
Exhibit 99.1
AC
Immune Announces Retirement of CEO Dr Andrea Pfeifer at Upcoming AGM
| · | Co-founder
and CEO, Dr Andrea Pfeifer, to retire after a distinguished 23-year tenure |
| · | Board
Chair, Martin Zügel, MD, to be appointed interim CEO |
| · | Dr
Pfeifer to serve as an Advisor and Honorary Chair of the Board of Directors, and Co-Chair
of the Scientific Advisory Board |
| · | Company
well-positioned to drive short- and long-term value creation via its wholly-owned pipeline
and strategic partnerships |
| · | Robust
balance sheet following recently achieved milestones, with multiple further near-term value-inflection
milestones |
Lausanne,
Switzerland, 12 May 2026 -- AC Immune SA (Nasdaq: ACIU), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering precision therapeutics
for neurodegenerative diseases, today announces that Dr Andrea Pfeifer has decided to retire from her role as Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) of AC Immune at the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) to spend more time with her family.
AC
Immune’s Board of Directors has appointed the Chair, Dr Martin Zügel, to serve as interim CEO while the ongoing search for
a permanent successor continues. Dr Pfeifer will be engaged as an Advisor to facilitate the transition and will be appointed as Honorary
Chair of the Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board. The Board appointed a leading industry consultant to conduct
the CEO search.
Dr
Pfeifer, Chief Executive Officer of AC Immune, commented: “It has been a great honor to serve as CEO of AC Immune together
with so many dedicated and brilliant colleagues over the years, not least my co-founders. From our foundation, the evolution of the company
has been driven by shared purpose and guided by strong science, clear values and integrity. I would like to thank the Board, and especially
our Chair Martin Zügel, for their leadership and for allowing me to step back and retire so that I can focus on my family at this
time. I will remain available to support Martin in his role as interim CEO during this transition period.”
Martin
Zügel, MD, Chair of the Board of Directors and interim CEO-designate, said, “The Board and I salute the exceptional contribution
Andrea has made to AC Immune and respect her decision to retire from her executive role. Throughout her tenure as CEO, Andrea has led
with clarity of vision, decisive leadership, and unwavering integrity, consistently championing the company’s long-term potential.
She leaves behind a highly capable organization, well-positioned to deliver transformative therapies for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s
and other neurodegenerative diseases. With three Precision Prevention candidates for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s already
in the clinic and strategic partnerships with Eli Lilly, Takeda and Johnson & Johnson, the company is entering its next phase from
a position of real strength. We are confident that as the pipeline matures, Andrea’s impact will become even more evident.”
Ends
For
further information, please contact:
SVP, Investor
Relations & Corporate Communications
Gary Waanders, Ph.D., MBA
AC Immune
Phone: +41 21 345 91 91
Email: gary.waanders@acimmune.com |
|
| |
|
International Media
Chris Maggos
Cohesion Bureau
Phone: +41 79 367 6254
Email:
chris.maggos@cohesionbureau.com |
|
About
AC Immune SA
AC
Immune SA is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company and a global leader in precision prevention for neurodegenerative diseases, including
Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and NeuroOrphan indications driven by misfolded proteins. The Company’s two
clinically validated technology platforms, SupraAntigen® and Morphomer®, fuel its pipeline of first- and
best-in-class assets, which currently features a range of therapeutic and diagnostic programs, including candidates in Phase 2 and Phase
3 development. AC Immune has a strong track record of securing strategic partnerships with leading global pharmaceutical companies, resulting
in substantial non-dilutive funding to advance its proprietary programs and >$4.5 billion in potential milestone payments plus royalties.
SupraAntigen®
is a registered trademark of AC Immune SA in the following territories: AU, EU, CH, GB, JP, RU, SG and USA. Morphomer®
is a registered trademark of AC Immune SA in CA, CN, CH, EU, GB, JP, KR, NO, RU and SG.
The
information on our website and any other websites referenced herein is expressly not incorporated by reference into, and does not constitute
a part of, this press release.
About
Dr Pfeifer
Dr
Pfeifer co-founded AC Immune SA in 2003 as CEO and has shaped the company into a resilient, innovation-driven, pioneering clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company developing precision therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases. Dr Pfeifer listed the company on the Nasdaq
stock exchange in 2016. She has been widely recognized for her leadership in defining global clinical development strategies linked to
the prevention and disease modification of both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
About
Dr Zügel
Martin
Zügel, MD, Chair of the AC Immune Board of Directors and interim CEO-designate, is an experienced executive with 30 years at the
executive and board level in multinational healthcare companies. Dr. Zügel is a board member at Grünenthal, a global pharma
company in pain management, Chair of the Board of AMW GmbH, a pharma company specializing in biodegradable
drug delivery systems, and MESI Ltd, a medical diagnostics company. Earlier in his career, Dr. Zügel was CEO of Merz Pharma
GmbH. During his tenure at Merz, he was instrumental in building memantine into a blockbuster Alzheimer’s drug in close collaboration
with Forest Labs, Daiichi Sankyo and Lundbeck A/S. Dr. Zügel has also served as Chair, director, executive or advisor with several
biotech companies and has acted as advisor to biotech/pharma investors.
