Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 9, 2026) - BetterLife Pharma Inc. (CSE: BETR) (OTCQB: BETRF) (FSE: NPAU) ("BetterLife" or the "Company"), an emerging biotechnology company developing BETR-001 for the treatment of migraine and headache disorders, is pleased to announce the appointment of John W. LaRocca, Esq. to its Board of Directors. Mr. LaRocca will also serve as a member of the Company's Audit Committee.

Mr. LaRocca is a three-decade biopharmaceutical industry executive with extensive public company seasoning across the full life-sciences lifecycle, spanning generics, branded specialty pharma, commercial biotech, and pre-commercial pipeline assets. He has served as Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary, and founding Chief Compliance Officer at four NYSE- and Nasdaq-listed companies, advising boards through proxy seasons, SEC reporting cycles, contested transactions, government investigations, a U.S. Supreme Court decision, and two sell-side exits together valued at more than $1.3 billion.

In the boardroom, Mr. LaRocca has served as Corporate Secretary at three Nasdaq-listed public companies — Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Aerie Pharmaceuticals, and Eagle Pharmaceuticals — where he managed the proxy process, 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K reporting cycles, Section 16 filings, at-the-market offerings, equity plan administration, and board operating practices. His experience spans mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, securities and SEC compliance, executive compensation, enterprise risk, and healthcare regulatory and compliance matters — the full range of expertise a public-company audit committee relies on.

A track record across M&A, securities, and compliance

On the transactional side, Mr. LaRocca served as principal legal officer on the $930 million sale of Aerie Pharmaceuticals to Alcon Laboratories, a Novartis subsidiary, and the $412 million sale of Y-mAbs Therapeutics to SERB Pharmaceuticals, which closed in 2025 at a 105% premium. Earlier, as Deputy General counsel at Actavis, he supported the approximately $25 billion acquisition of Forest Laboratories and the approximately $8 billion acquisition of Warner Chilcott, and over his career has led more than 200 asset, intellectual property, and product transactions across buy-side, sell-side, cross-border, and post-close integration mandates.

A two-time founding Chief Compliance Officer, at Eagle Pharmaceuticals and at Actavis, Mr. LaRocca designed publicly traded healthcare compliance programs from inception, aligned with the OIG's seven-element guidance, chaired enterprise risk management, and negotiated consent orders with the FTC and FDA and settlement orders with the DOJ and multiple State Attorneys General. He also won a landmark 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court decision in PLIVA, Inc. v. Mensing, an industry-altering ruling on generic drug preemption, and has overseen litigation portfolios exceeding 2,500 cases and approximately $2.5 billion in aggregate risk.

"As we enter our new and exciting phase of progress, John's appointment will add significant and complimentary depth and knowledge to our Board. His expertise across multiple legal and regulatory channels will greatly enhance our ability to take BetterLife to much higher levels," said Ahmad Doroudian, Chief Executive Officer of BetterLife.

"We are delighted to welcome John to our Board of Directors and Audit Committee," said Doug Drysdale, Executive Chairman of BetterLife. "John brings the kind of public-company governance, securities, and M&A experience that is directly relevant to where BetterLife is headed. As a Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at multiple Nasdaq-listed companies, and as a two-time founding Chief Compliance Officer, he has sat at the center of the boardroom through transactions, SEC reporting cycles, and complex regulatory matters. His judgment will strengthen our governance and our ability to create long-term value for shareholders."

"I am honored to join BetterLife's Board of Directors and its Audit Committee at such an important stage in the Company's development," said Mr. LaRocca. "BetterLife's approach to treating neurological disorders is compelling, and I look forward to bringing my experience in governance, securities compliance, M&A, and enterprise risk to support the Board, management, and shareholders as the Company advances BETR-001 and executes its growth strategy."

Mr. LaRocca is the founder and principal of LaRocca Pharma Law Group / LaRocca Advisory Services, providing board-advisory, fractional General Counsel, and Chief Compliance Officer services to public, private-equity-backed, and pre-IPO life sciences companies. He holds a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College, and is admitted to practice in New York and New Jersey.

Pursuant to the appointment of Mr. LaRocca as Director, the Company has agreed to grant Mr. LaRocca stock options to purchase 500,000 common shares of BetterLife, with an exercise price of $0.19, quarterly vesting over 24 months and a ten (10) year term.

BetterLife also announces that it has received gross proceeds of $40,000 from the exercise of 350,000 share purchase warrants. The Company issued 350,000 common shares in connection with the exercise of these warrants at prices of $0.10 and $0.15. The Company intends to use the gross proceeds received for ongoing development of BETR-001 and working capital purposes.

About BetterLife Pharma

BetterLife Pharma Inc. is an emerging biotechnology company primarily focused on developing and commercializing BETR-001 to treat various neurological disorders. BETR-001, which is in preclinical and IND-enabling studies, is a non-hallucinogenic and non-controlled LSD derivative in development and is unique in that it is unregulated and therefore can be self-administered. BetterLife's synthesis patent for BETR-001 eliminates regulatory hurdles and its pending patent, for composition and method of use, covers treatment of various neurological disorders, until around 2042. BetterLife also owns a drug candidate for the treatment of viral infections and is in the process of seeking strategic alternatives for further development.

For further information, please visit BetterLife Pharma.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

No securities exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "will", "may", "should", "anticipate", "expects" and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/304404