The Albany Gazette - AI Financial Corporation Rebrands Its Biotech Business as Drew Therapeutics in Honor of Andrew Witkoff, Who Succumbed to Opioid Addiction in 2011

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESS Newswire / October 14, 2026 / Under the rallying cry "Out of Pain Comes Purpose," AI Financial Corporation (Nasdaq:AIFC)(FRA:5AR1) announced the rebranding of its biotech segment as "Drew Therapeutics Corporation." The new name honors Andrew Witkoff, brother of the company's chairman, who died of opioid overdose in 2011 at the young age of 22.

AI Financial is a leading fintech, specializing in agentic commerce. Its biotech segment has a robust pipeline of non-addictive treatments for pain and will become a separate, independent public company, as previously announced. AI Financial's CEO Tony Isaac expressed appreciation for "the honor of using Andrew's name as our brand." He said, "The story of Andrew Witkoff reinforces our commitment to developing non-addictive painkillers, reducing pain and saving lives."

Over the past 10 years, more than 700,000 Americans lost their lives due to opioids-that's more than all US military members who died in the last 100 years in all wars and conflicts combined. That is the equivalent of a plane full of passengers crashing every day or a 9/11 calamity occurring every 10 days. The opioid crisis is so severe that it has contributed to a decline in overall American life expectancy, which rarely falls in the absence of major wars or pandemics.

Considering the scale of opioid-related deaths, CEO Tony Isaac observed that, "Society, unfortunately, tends to deal with the crisis in cold statistics. But sheer numbers cannot convey the painful reality that each person who dies is a son or a daughter, a brother or a sister, or a beloved friend. Andrew Witkoff represents every person lost to opioids who could have been saved. He will be the voice for those who can no longer speak. In his name, we will advance the science of killing pain not people."

The company's new tagline is, "From Pain Comes Purpose." It was inspired by those who respond to opioid-related tragedy by supporting greater awareness of the opioid epidemic, personal outreach to families that suffer from addiction, and investing in the science of non-addicting treatments for pain.

AI Financial's biotech segment is currently developed and marketed under the legacy brand, "Alyea Therapeutics Corporation," which will be rebranded to "Drew Therapeutics Corporation." The company is headed by Dr. Amol Soin, a renowned leader in pain management research and applications. Dr. Soin acknowledged the new name as "a moving reminder that scientific research into safer ways for treating pain is ultimately about saving lives." Dr. Soin earned awards and patents for his innovative ideas. He is the inventor of Biphasic release of Low-Dose Naltrexone (LDN), and the "Clear Patch", a topical application technology both designed to treat pain without the opioids-effect.

Deriving purpose from pain is manifest in the leadership of AI Financial's Chairman Zach Witkoff, who said, "I am hopeful that Drew's name and memory will continue to inspire the development of life-saving alternatives to the addictive drugs that have destroyed thousands of lives. Opioids are non-partisan. They are an equal opportunity killer, destroying lives of people in both political parties, all races and social classes. It is a shocking fact that, although Americans make up only 5 percent of the world's population, we consume 80% of the world's oxycodone. This crisis must be addressed through heightened public awareness, an end to careless, and sometimes illegal, prescriptions of addicting pain-killers."

According to CEO Tony Isaac, the re-branding is the first of a series of pending announcements. "In the weeks ahead, we will roll out other important initiatives to activate further our strategic plans for the benefit of our stockholders. The markets will hear more from us - so, stay tuned."

About AI Financial Corporation

AI Financial (NASDAQ:AIFC)(FRA:5AR1) is a leading fintech specializing in agentic commerce. It develops intelligent financial products and infrastructure for the emerging intelligence economy, with a strategy spanning intelligent-card issuance, programmable finance, tokenization, treasury-enabled utility, Vault-based identity and permissions, and secure AI-to-AI transactions.

Please visit aifi.co for more information.

About Drew Therapeutics Corporation

Drew Therapeutics Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative, non-opioid solutions for chronic pain. The company's lead investigational program is an innovative, proprietary formulation of low-dose naltrexone (LDN) for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), which has received FDA orphan drug designation and is advancing through clinical development. Drew is also developing the Drew Clear Patch, a topical pain-relief technology designed for targeted, non-invasive treatment. Led by Amol Soin, MD, Drew's mission is to improve pain care through science-backed therapies that reduce reliance on opioids and address significant unmet needs in chronic pain. Drew Therapeutics Corporation is the new name for Alyea Therapeutics Corporation, a subsidiary of AI Financial Corporation that will become a separate, independent public company.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or the Company's future financial or operating performance and may include the Company's assessment of the relationship between the market price of its common stock and its estimated net asset value; the estimated value of the Company's WLFI token holdings; the Company's strategic direction, capital allocation priorities, and potential future initiatives.

In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "may," "will," "could," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "intend," "believe," "estimate," "potential," "continue," or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These statements are based on management's current expectations, assumptions, and beliefs, and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: changes in the market price and trading volume of the Company's common stock; volatility in the market price of WLFI tokens and other digital assets; limitations on the transferability, pledgeability, staking, lending, or other use of the Company's WLFI token holdings; the availability and terms of any financing or other liquidity arrangements involving WLFI tokens; risks related to digital asset custody, collateralization, staking, lending, counterparty arrangements and protocol operations; the availability of capital to support future development; the Company's ability to develop, acquire, or integrate new technologies; the Company's ability to execute on its strategy under its new corporate identity and ticker symbol; changes in market conditions; regulatory developments affecting the Company's business; and other risks and uncertainties described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

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Media & Investor Contacts: AiFi Media Relations: [email protected]

Please visit aifi.co for more information.

SOURCE: AI Financial Corporation

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(B.Ramirez--TAG)