Veteran antiviral leader James Sapirstein to head Cocrystal Pharma (NASDAQ: COCP)
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Cocrystal Pharma has appointed James Sapirstein as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, and plans to add him to the Board of Directors. He succeeds former Co-CEOs Sam Lee and Jim Martin; Lee will remain President and become Chief Scientific Officer, while Martin continues as Chief Financial Officer. The company highlights Sapirstein’s extensive antiviral and biopharma leadership experience, including participation in 23 product launches and multiple business development deals. Cocrystal reiterates its focus on structure-based drug discovery to develop next-generation antiviral therapies targeting viruses such as norovirus, influenza, coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2, and hepatitis C.
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Insights
Cocrystal installs an experienced antiviral executive as sole CEO while retaining scientific and financial continuity.
Cocrystal Pharma appointed James Sapirstein as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, and plans to add him to the Board. He replaces prior Co-CEOs Sam Lee and Jim Martin, who remain in senior roles overseeing science and finance.
The company emphasizes Sapirstein’s background in antivirals, citing involvement in 23 product launches and leadership roles at multiple biopharma companies. This aligns with Cocrystal’s structure-based drug discovery platform and clinical-stage antiviral pipeline across norovirus, influenza, coronavirus (including SARS-CoV-2), and hepatitis C.
The filing does not include financial metrics, so the immediate impact is primarily organizational and strategic rather than quantified. Future disclosures in periodic reports may clarify how leadership changes influence clinical progress, partnerships, and potential commercialization outcomes.
8-K Event Classification
Key Figures
Key Terms
Regulation FD Disclosure regulatory
clinical-stage biotechnology company financial
structure based drug discovery platform technical
forward-looking statements regulatory
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FAQ
What leadership change did Cocrystal Pharma (COCP) announce on June 3, 2026?
Cocrystal Pharma appointed James Sapirstein as Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He will also be appointed to the Board of Directors, replacing prior Co-CEOs Sam Lee and Jim Martin, who remain in key roles as President/Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Financial Officer.
What happens to Sam Lee and Jim Martin after Cocrystal Pharma’s CEO transition?
Following the appointment of James Sapirstein as CEO, Sam Lee continues as President and transitions to Chief Scientific Officer. Jim Martin steps down as Co-CEO but remains Chief Financial Officer, maintaining continuity in both scientific leadership and financial management at Cocrystal Pharma (COCP).
What relevant experience does new Cocrystal Pharma (COCP) CEO James Sapirstein bring?
James Sapirstein brings extensive biopharma leadership, having participated in or led 23 product launches and numerous business development transactions. His background includes CEO roles and senior positions at antiviral-focused companies, which aligns with Cocrystal Pharma’s focus on developing novel antiviral therapeutics.
What is Cocrystal Pharma’s core business focus following the CEO change?
Cocrystal Pharma remains a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing antiviral therapeutics targeting viral replication. Its structure-based drug discovery platform focuses on noroviruses, influenza viruses, coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2, and hepatitis C, aiming to create effective, broad-spectrum antiviral treatments.
How does Cocrystal Pharma describe its structure-based drug discovery platform?
The company describes its platform as structure-based drug discovery that designs antivirals targeting highly conserved regions of viral enzymes. This approach aims to maintain potency against mutating strains, minimize off-target effects, and speed candidate optimization using near-atomic resolution structural data.
Does this Cocrystal Pharma (COCP) filing include new financial results or guidance?
The disclosed information centers on leadership changes and strategic positioning of Cocrystal Pharma’s antiviral pipeline. It does not present new financial results or earnings data, focusing instead on governance updates and description of the company’s research platform and therapeutic targets.
UNITED STATES
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CURRENT REPORT
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Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure
On June 3, 2026, Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing James Sapirstein’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1.
The information in this Item 7.01 (including Exhibit 99.1) shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities under such section, and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
| Exhibit | Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release dated June 3, 2026 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
SIGNATURES
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 hereunto duly authorized.
| Cocrystal Pharma, Inc. | ||
| Date: June 3, 2026 | By: | /s/ James Martin |
| Name: | James Martin | |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
Exhibit 99.1
Cocrystal Pharma Appoints James Sapirstein, Biopharma Industry Leader with Extensive Antiviral Development Experience, as Chief Executive Officer
BOTHELL, Wash., June 3, 2026 – Cocrystal Pharma Inc. (Nasdaq: COCP) (“Cocrystal” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics to meet the growing need for effective, safe antiviral treatments, has appointed James Sapirstein Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. The Company also plans to appoint Mr. Sapirstein as a member of the Board of Directors. He has extensive pharmaceutical industry leadership and development experience. Mr. Sapirstein replaces Sam Lee and Jim Martin, who served as Co-Chief Executive Officers. Sam Lee will continue as President and transition to Chief Scientific Officer, and Jim Martin will continue as Chief Financial Officer.
“James brings the right experience in the biopharma business as we’re accelerating the advancement of multiple clinical programs,” said Roger Kornberg, Ph.D., Chairman of Cocrystal Pharma. “We have known him for many years, and our management team and board are appreciative of his decision to join us as Chief Executive Officer.”
Mr. Sapirstein commented, “Cocrystal’s pipeline comprises transformative antivirals developed using its structure based drug discovery platform. We are well positioned with the right technology and team to create meaningful benefits for patients as well as our shareholders. The potential to address the need for new antivirals is highly motivating for me with my product development and launch background.”
Mr. Sapirstein has participated in or led 23 product launches. He has also driven numerous business development transactions. Mr. Sapirstein was Chief Executive Officer of Contravir Pharmaceuticals, served as the founding Chief Executive Officer of Tobira Therapeutics, and as Executive Vice President, Metabolic and Endocrinology, for Serono Laboratories.
Earlier in his career, he held senior marketing and commercialization positions, at Gilead Sciences and director of international marketing of the infectious disease division at Bristol Myers Squibb.
Mr. Sapirstein is a member of several industry boards and previously served as Chairman of BioNJ as well as Biotechnology Innovation Organization board member for more than a decade. He is also a founding member of the board of advisors of the Miami Biotech Collective.
About Cocrystal Pharma’s Structure-Based Drug Discovery Platform
Cocrystal Pharma is leveraging its structure based drug discovery platform technology to design next generation antiviral candidates that precisely target viral replication mechanisms. By binding to highly conserved regions of viral enzymes, the Company’s compounds aim to maintain potency against mutating strains while minimizing off target effects, offering potentially safer, broad spectrum antiviral solutions. This approach streamlines candidate identification and optimization, enabling more rapid progression of promising therapies with robust resistance and safety profiles.
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The Company’s platform provides a three dimensional structure of inhibitor complexes at near-atomic resolution, providing immediate insight to guide Structure Activity Relationships. This helps identify novel binding sites and enables a rapid turnaround of structural information through highly automated X-ray data processing and refinement. This technology permits the development of novel broad spectrum antivirals.
About Cocrystal Pharma
Cocrystal Pharma Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company discovering and developing novel antiviral therapeutics that target the replication process of noroviruses, influenza viruses, coronaviruses (including SARS-CoV-2), and hepatitis C viruses. Cocrystal employs unique structure based technologies to create viable antiviral drugs. For more information, visit www.cocrystalpharma.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Company’s potential to address the need for new antivirals through its research and development of product candidates. The words “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “should,” “plan,” “could,” “target,” “potential,” “is likely,” “will,” “expect” and similar expressions, as they relate to us, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events. Some or all of the events anticipated by these forward-looking statements may not occur. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties arising from inflation, affordability, the possibility of a recession, increases or other developments with respect to interest rates, uncertainty surrounding the impacts arising from imposed and threatened tariffs and developments with respect thereto, and wars and geopolitical conflicts including those in Ukraine and with Iran on our Company, our collaboration partners, and on the U.S. and global economies, including manufacturing and research delays arising from raw materials and labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and other business interruptions including any adverse impacts on our ability to obtain raw materials and test animals as well as similar problems with our vendors our and our collaboration partners’ technology and software performing as expected, financial difficulties experienced by certain partners, the results of future preclinical and clinical trials, general risks arising from clinical trials, receipt of regulatory approvals, regulatory changes and potential litigation challenging initiatives and actions taken by the Trump Administration which could, among other things, result in delays in regulatory approvals or limit access to federal funding for our programs, development of effective treatments and/or vaccines by competitors, including as part of the programs financed by the U.S. government, potential mutations in a virus we are targeting which may result in variants that are resistant to a product candidate we develop, and our liquidity. Further information on our risk factors is contained in our filings with the SEC, including the “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. Any forward-looking statement made by us herein speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Factors or events that could cause our actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by law.
Investor Contact:
Nicolas Johnson
Russo Partners
nic.johnson@russopartnersllc.com
(303) 482-6405
Media Contact:
David Schull
Russo Partners
david.schull@russopartnersllc.com
(858) 717-2310
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