Dr. Gehchan brings decades of successful
late-stage clinical development and commercial experience to role,
further enhancing Kyverna's senior leadership team to
execute Company's next wave of growth
EMERYVILLE, Calif., Jan. 21,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc.
(Kyverna, NASDAQ: KYTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
focused on developing cell therapies for patients with autoimmune
diseases, today announced the appointment of Naji Gehchan, M.D.,
MBA, to Chief Medical and Development Officer, where he will lead
the Company's research, clinical development, and medical affairs
functions. Dr. Gehchan brings 20 years of U.S. and
international experience across multiple therapeutic areas,
including immunology, as both an accomplished pharmaceutical
executive and a physician to this newly established role at
Kyverna.
"We are thrilled to welcome Naji, a seasoned clinical
development leader skilled in immunology, to our team as we prepare
for our next phase of growth," said Warner
Biddle, Chief Executive Officer of Kyverna. "As we advance
KYV-101 to late-stage development, having a leader like Naji, who
has a track record for out-of-the-box thinking and successfully
executing innovative pipeline programs will be critical. In
addition, it is rare to find an accomplished development executive
who also possesses such a deep business background, but Naji has
both. This combination will enable him to lead our talented bench
of CAR T, neurology and autoimmune experts to deliver upon the
clinical milestones that lie ahead for us."
Dr. Gehchan joins Kyverna from Eli Lilly and Company, where he
most recently served as the Head of Clinical Development for
imlunestrant, a novel breast cancer treatment. In this role, he
advanced this complex development program from Phase 1 to global
submissions, laying the groundwork for a successful launch.
Dr. Gehchan spent more than 16 years at Lilly, holding key
senior leadership positions, including Associate Vice President of
Sales for the U.S. Diabetes Team and Chief Marketing
Officer/Business Unit Senior Director for Lilly France, Belgium and Netherlands, where he successfully led the
launch of Lilly's immunology medicines. Prior to this, Dr. Gehchan
worked as a Business Unit Manager, European Medical Affairs Lead,
and Clinical Research Physician. He began his career as a medical
doctor at Hôtel-Dieu de France in
Beirut and served as a First
Responder, Team Leader, and Member of the Medical Committee at the
Lebanese Red Cross.
"Having worked with Naji at Lilly, I witnessed his disciplined
and patient-centered approach to tackling critical business
priorities and believe his unique background is a perfect fit for
Kyverna," said Christi Shaw,
Independent Director, Kyverna Board of Directors. "As President of
Lilly's Bio-Medicines business, I watched Naji effectively lead his
teams to achieve and exceed the often-lofty goals that were set for
them. As Kyverna prepares for a series of critical clinical
milestones, Naji's ability to drive aggressive timelines, execute
creatively, and operate with excellence, will be an asset to the
organization."
"I am excited to be a part of the pioneering cell therapy work
Kyverna is advancing for patients living with autoimmune diseases,
a population in need of innovative treatment options," said Dr.
Gehchan. "CAR T-cell therapies have changed the standard of care in
oncology and have the potential to redefine care in autoimmune
diseases. I have been impressed with the early research and
development work the talented team at Kyverna has already achieved
and look forward to bringing my experience in late-stage
development and commercialization to urgently drive forward the
clinical development priorities that lie ahead for the
company."
Dr. Gehchan holds a Doctor of Medicine and Masters in Biological
Science from Saint Joseph University of Beirut, a Specialized Master of Healthcare
Management and Pharmaceutical Marketing from ESCP Business School,
and a Master of Business Administration from MIT Sloan.
As part of this transition, Dominic
Borie, M.D., Ph.D., who has served as both the founding CEO
at Kyverna and more recently as the President of Research and
Development, will move to a new role as Strategic Advisor to the
CEO and the Board. Dr. Borie has been a critical member of the
Kyverna leadership team and will continue to offer his expertise
and insight in his new role.
Inducement Grant
In connection with the appointment of Dr. Gehchan as Kyverna's
Chief Medical and Development Officer, on January 22, 2025, Kyverna will grant Dr. Gehchan
an option to purchase 425,000 shares of its common stock (Option).
The Option will be granted pursuant to the Kyverna Therapeutics,
Inc. 2024 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan, as approved by the
Compensation Committee of Kyverna's Board of Directors on
September 14, 2024, and will be
granted as an inducement material to Dr. Gehchan's employment with
Kyverna in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The
exercise price of the Option will be the closing price of Kyverna's
common stock on January 22, 2025, the
date of grant. The Option will vest over four years, with 25% of
the total number of shares subject to the Option vesting on the
one-year anniversary of Dr. Gehchan's appointment and 1/48th of the
total number of shares subject to the Option vesting monthly
thereafter, subject in each case to Dr. Gehchan's continued service
to Kyverna on each vesting date. Kyverna is providing this
information in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule
5635(c)(4).
About Kyverna Therapeutics
Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc.
(Nasdaq: KYTX) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company
focused on liberating patients through the curative potential of
cell therapy. Kyverna's lead CAR T-cell therapy candidate,
KYV-101, is advancing through clinical development with Phase 2
trials for stiff person syndrome and myasthenia gravis, and two
ongoing multi-center Phase 1/2 trials for patients with lupus
nephritis. The Company is also harnessing investigator-initiated
trials and other KYSA studies, including in multiple sclerosis and
systemic sclerosis, to inform the next priority indications for the
Company to advance into late-stage development. Its pipeline
includes next-generation CAR T-cell therapies in both autologous
and allogeneic formats with properties intended to be well suited
for use in B cell-driven autoimmune diseases. For more
information, please visit https://kyvernatx.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press
release about future expectations, plans and prospects, as well as
any other statements regarding matters that are not historical
facts, may constitute "forward-looking statements." The words,
without limitation, "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could,"
"estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "potential,"
"predict," "project," "should," "target," "will," "would" and
similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking
statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain
these or similar identifying words. Forward-looking statements in
this press release include, without limitation, those related to:
the potential impact of the clinical outcomes from the ongoing
clinical programs and trials; the curative potential of cell
therapy and Kyverna's product candidates; the potential impact of
the Kyverna's product candidates on the current treatment landscape
for the targeted autoimmune diseases; Kyverna's goals to develop
certain transformational treatment options; Kyverna's beliefs about
the differentiated properties of KYV-101; and Kyverna's clinical
trials, investigator-initiated trials and named-patient activities.
Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such
forward-looking statements as a result of various important
factors, including uncertainties related to market conditions, and
other factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of Kyverna's
most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on
Form 10-Q that Kyverna has filed or may subsequently file with the
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking
statements contained in this press release are based on the current
expectations of Kyverna's management team and speak only as of the
date hereof, and Kyverna specifically disclaims any obligation to
update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
For more information, please
visit https://kyvernatx.com.
Contact:
Investors: InvestorRelations@kyvernatx.com
Media: media@kyvernatx.com
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SOURCE Kyverna Therapeutics