Atacicept

→ Recursion has hired a new top doctor, bringing on Vicki Goodman as chief medical officer. Goodman previously served as CMO of the cancer biotechs Exelixis and Mural Oncology . She is taking over for David Mauro , who has been in the role for nearly three years. Goodman’s hiring is one of the biggest executive changes since Najat Khan took over as CEO at the start of 2026. → Pablo Cagnoni ’s job title at Incyte has been modified to president and global head of R&D, while longtime CMO Steven Stein will add to his responsibilities as head of late-stage development. CEO Bill Meury wasn’t done, naming J&J vet Mohamed Issa as head of US commercial. Issa had led the US oncology business and that won’t change with this role, but his leadership will extend to US immunology as well. Finally, Matteo Trotta — who came to Incyte in 2024 after 12 years at Novartis — is stepping down as US general manager, dermatology. Incyte has passed through Peer Review frequently since August, hiring a chief strategy officer, HR chief and general counsel. → Emil deGoma is a first-time CMO at Braveheart Bio , a new cardio bet that raised a $185 million Series A in November after doing a deal with Hengrui . The Akebia vet was SVP of medical research at Tourmaline Bio , which Novartis bought last year to boost a heart disease pipeline that already includes its blockbuster Entresto . “His background as an academic cardiologist and his industry experience advancing innovative medicines position him well to guide our clinical programs,” Braveheart CEO Travis Murdoch said in a statement. Murdoch sold HI-Bio to Biogen in 2024, and Braveheart is now chaired by Biogen CEO Chris Viehbacher . → David Marek quietly stepped down as CEO of ReAlta Life Sciences in October, according to his LinkedIn, and the Virginia-based biotech has tapped chairman Howard Berman as his successor. This is Berman’s first CEO appointment since he led Coya Therapeutics from 2020-24, and he has chaired the board at ReAlta since November. One more note: Madrigal Pharmaceuticals alum and ReAlta board member Kia Motesharei has been named president and COO. He had a short stint as an entrepreneur-in-residence at Formation Bio after more than two years with Madrigal as SVP, business & corporate development. → On March 30, Jennifer Jarrett will be president and CEO of Damora Therapeutics , which was purchased by Galecto and will carry on under the Damora name. Fairmount Funds founding partner Peter Harwin will chair the board, while Spyre Therapeutics CEO Cameron Turtle and ex- Blueprint Medicines finance chief Mike Landsittel are the newest board members. Jarrett had been a key member of the team at Arcus Biosciences in two separate stints since 2017, including the last five-plus years as COO. From 2019-20, she was head of corporate development and capital markets for Uber . You can also find her on the board of directors at Sagimet Biosciences , Syndax Pharmaceuticals and Zura Bio . → There’s a changing of the guard at Basel-based Anaveon . Andreas Katopodis is handing the CEO keys to Thaminda Ramanayake , who was recently chief business officer at CureVac , the mRNA biotech that he helped merge with rival BioNTech . Ramanayake is also a venture partner at the investment fund Entrée Bioventures . Anaveon is working on depleting pathogenic T cells for autoimmune diseases and inflammatory disorders. The company used to be clinical-stage with its initial goal of joining the IL-2 race , but that mission appears to have ended . Anaveon said it is backed by Syncona , Forbion , Blue Owl , Pontifax and the venture arms of Novartis and Pfizer . Anaveon’s chair is former Bayer CEO Dieter Weinand . → Two key execs have made their way to Averna Therapeutics , one of last year’s Endpoints 11 winners : CSO Robert Mabry worked for Averna CEO Tom Barnes in the same capacity at Orna Therapeutics , and Mabry has also been global head of biologics for Takeda . And Richard Morris has another CFO assignment following stints at Carisma Therapeutics , Passage Bio and Context Therapeutics . Averna’s focus on “jumping genes” — also known as retrotransposons — has additional competition . → France’s Abivax turned an experimental HIV drug ( obefazimod ) into a much-anticipated inflammatory disease treatment. As it prepares to take obefazimod to regulators, it has hired nine-year Takeda veteran Michael Nesrallah as its new chief commercial officer. Nesrallah filled multiple roles during his Takeda tenure, including general manager of Belgium, franchise head for IBD, leader of commercial operations for the US specialty business, and more. Obefazimod’s clinical success thus far in ulcerative colitis has drummed up M&A rumors. Alongside Nesrallah, Abivax also named Keith Fournier as SVP of global regulatory affairs and Maurus de la Rosa as SVP of research. Meanwhile, Sofinnova Partners ’ Kinam Hong stepped down from the board on March 19. → Led by ex- Prevail CEO Asa Abeliovich , neuro upstart Leal Therapeutics has brought in Johannes Tauscher as CMO, according to the search firm that helped with the appointment. Tauscher completed a dozen years with Takeda last summer and was the Japanese pharma’s global head of imaging. Leal broke cover in August with a $30 million Series A and a schizophrenia candidate called LTX-001 . → ADARx Pharmaceuticals has hopped aboard the banker-to-CFO train. The RNA startup poached Goldman Sachs healthcare investment banker Ryan Fisk , who will be chief financial and business officer at the San Diego biotech. Multiple other private drug developers have hired bankers to lead finance and help them go public. ADARx is a likely IPO candidate, since it’s already in Phase 3 with a hot drug modality, pharma validity with a major AbbVie pact , and backing from blue-chip investors like Bain Capital and TCGX . Fisk wrote to his LinkedIn following that he believes ADARx can be a “generational biotech company.” → For the third time this month , Peer Review is bringing you news of a Royalty Pharma hire. This time, decade-long IQVIA veteran Lucas Glass is becoming Royalty’s head of AI. “By incorporating intelligent automation, advanced analytics and AI-driven decision support, we are strengthening how we evaluate and invest in royalties and support our partners,” CEO Pablo Legorreta said in a statement . Glass was most recently SVP of technology at IQVIA. → Rani Therapeutics has selected ex- Radius Health chief Jesper Høiland as head of strategy. Høiland spent three decades at Novo Nordisk , and when Kelly Martin succeeded him at Radius Health, he became global chief commercial officer at Ascendis Pharma . He retired from Ascendis in 2022. → Mineralys Therapeutics has recruited Jeffrey Munsie as chief legal officer. Munsie previously held this position at two biotechs that have been acquired: Orbital Therapeutics (bought by Bristol Myers Squibb ) and Concert Pharmaceuticals (bought by Sun Pharma ). Will Mineralys be added to the list? Its aldosterone synthase inhibitor lorundrostat is showing promise in hypertension and has a Dec. 22 decision date with the FDA. → Atacicept maker Vera Therapeutics also has a new legal chief. Jane Wright-Mitchell spent more than two years with Vaxcyte as general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary, and she’s also worked on the legal teams at Mesoblast and Purdue Pharma . The FDA set a July 7 PDUFA date for atacicept in patients with IgA nephropathy. → Jennifer McDonough is getting started at Palvella Therapeutics as SVP of market access and patient services. McDonough was on the crew behind the commercial launch of the gene therapy Vyjuvek as SVP, patient access, analytics & operations at fellow Pennsylvania drugmaker Krystal Biotech . → Endpoints 11 winner Umoja Biopharma has welcomed Avenzo Therapeutics CEO Athena Countouriotis to the board of directors, along with Massachusetts General Hospital’s Marcela Maus . Countouriotis ran Turning Point Therapeutics until Bristol Myers scooped it up in 2022, and she’s also a board member at BioMarin , Iovance and Recludix Pharma , among others. → CAMP4 Therapeutics has elected Michael MacLean to the board of directors. MacLean is mapping out his next chapter after nearly six years as CFO of Avidity Biosciences , the RNA specialist that was sold to Novartis for $12 billion. → After retiring from Morgan Stanley in February, Jessica Chutter has joined the board of directors at PTC Therapeutics . Chutter had a 40-year career with Morgan Stanley, where she had been managing director and chair of biotechnology investment banking. Andrew Dunn also contributed to this edition.

BRISBANE, Calif., March 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERA), a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing transformative treatments for patients with serious immunological diseases, today announced the appointment of Jane Wright-Mitchell, Pharm.D., J.D., as Chief Legal Officer, effective immediately. “Jane has worked with Vera Therapeutics previously as a strategic legal consultant and brings a depth and breadth of experience in supporting companies through regulatory approvals, commercialization, and intellectual property management,” said Marshall Fordyce, M.D., Founder and CEO of Vera Therapeutics. “As we near the potential launch of our first-in-class dual BAFF/APRIL inhibitor for patients with IgA nephropathy, Jane’s expertise will further strengthen our foundation for sustainable success.” “I look forward to partnering across the organization to lead our legal efforts through key milestones and the potential commercial launch of atacicept,” said Ms. Wright-Mitchell. “I am excited to join Vera Therapeutics' leadership and work towards our mission to advance treatments in order to change the standard of care for patients.” Ms. Wright-Mitchell is a business and compliance lawyer with over 25 years of experience advising public and private companies. She most recently served as a fractional general counsel supporting public and private companies in the life sciences industry. Ms. Wright-Mitchell was previously the General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary at Vaxcyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: PCVX). Prior to that role, she served as the Chief Legal Officer of other pharmaceutical and research companies. Ms. Wright-Mitchell holds a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from Clemson University, a Pharm.D. from the University of Illinois, Chicago and a J.D. from Chicago Kent College of Law. She is a registered pharmacist as well as registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. About Vera Therapeutics Vera Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for serious immunological diseases. Vera Therapeutics’ mission is to advance treatments that target the source of disease in order to change the standard of care for patients. Vera Therapeutics’ lead product candidate is atacicept, a fusion protein self-administered at home as a subcutaneous once weekly injection that blocks both B-cell Activating Factor (BAFF) and A Proliferation-Inducing Ligand (APRIL), which stimulate B cells to produce autoantibodies contributing to certain autoimmune diseases, including IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and lupus nephritis. Beyond IgAN, Vera Therapeutics is evaluating additional diseases where the reduction of autoantibodies by atacicept may prove clinically meaningful. In addition, Vera Therapeutics holds an exclusive license agreement with Stanford University for a novel, next generation fusion protein targeting BAFF and APRIL, known as VT-109, with wide therapeutic potential across the spectrum of B-cell–mediated diseases. Vera Therapeutics is also evaluating the development of MAU868, a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize infection with BK virus, which can have devastating consequences in kidney transplant recipients. Vera Therapeutics retains all global developmental and commercial rights to atacicept, VT-109, and MAU868. For more information, please visit . Forward-looking Statements Statements contained in this press release regarding matters, events or results that may occur in the future are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, Vera Therapeutics’ ability to launch a potential first-in-class dual BAFF/APRIL inhibitor for patients with IgA nephropathy; the Chief Legal Officer’s ability to further strengthen Vera Therapeutics’ foundation for sustainable success; and the plans, commitments, aspirations and goals under the caption “About Vera Therapeutics”. Words such as “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “will” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Vera Therapeutics’ current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks related to the regulatory approval process, results of earlier clinical trials may not be obtained in later clinical trials, preliminary results may not be predictive of topline results, risks and uncertainties associated with Vera Therapeutics’ business in general, the impact of macroeconomic and geopolitical events, and the other risks described in Vera Therapeutics' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management’s assumptions and estimates as of such date. Vera Therapeutics undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law. Investor Contact: Joyce Allaire LifeSci Advisors 212-915-2569 jallaire@lifesciadvisors.com Media Contact: Debra Charlesworth Vera Therapeutics 415-854-051 corporatecommunications@veratx.com