CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & SALISBURY, England–(BUSINESS WIRE)–KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KALV), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule protease inhibitors, announced today the appointment of Paul K. Audhya, MD, MBA, as Chief Medical Officer.
“As we advance our oral hereditary angioedema franchise in the clinic, KalVista will be strategically growing by adding individuals with deep experience in late-stage drug development and global commercialization,” said Andrew Crockett, Chief Executive Officer of KalVista. “Paul is joining at the perfect time to apply his expertise in global medical affairs, drug development and international product launches as we evolve into a commercial stage organization.”
“The move to efficacious and safe oral treatments represents a critical advancement for HAE patients around the world, and the data KalVista has shown makes them unique as the only Company developing multiple oral drugs for attack management,” said Paul Audhya. “I couldn’t be more pleased to join KalVista at this important time in the development of these therapies.”
Dr. Audhya has over 20 years of clinical development and global medical affairs leadership experience across a range of therapeutic areas and disciplines, including rare disease. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President, Global Medical Affairs at Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he established and provided oversight for all medical affairs functions including Health Economics and Outcomes Research and Global Patient Advocacy. Prior to that, he was Vice President, Global Strategy and Phase 4, Global Medical Affairs at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., where he led global launch and lifecycle management planning and implementation for the cystic fibrosis portfolio. Before Vertex, Dr. Audhya was Vice President, Medical Affairs at Hospira Inc. (acquired by Pfizer) where he introduced transformational strategies for biosimilars globally and led the successful launch of the first monoclonal biosimilar in the EU. In the years prior to Hospira, Dr. Audhya held positions of increasing responsibility across all stages of drug development at Reata Pharmaceuticals, Abbott Laboratories, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb and Janssen. Dr. Audhya received a BA and MD from New York University, an MBA from Pepperdine University, and completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
About KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule protease inhibitors for diseases with significant unmet need. KalVista has developed a proprietary portfolio of novel, small molecule plasma kallikrein inhibitors initially targeting hereditary angioedema (HAE) and diabetic macular edema (DME). KalVista is developing KVD900 as an oral on-demand therapy for acute HAE attacks, which completed a Phase 2 efficacy trial in February 2021, demonstrating statistical and clinical significance across all endpoints. KVD824 is in development for prophylactic treatment of HAE. In addition, KalVista’s oral Factor XIIa inhibitor program represents a new generation of therapies that may further improve the treatment of HAE for patients. In DME, an intravitreally administered plasma kallikrein inhibitor, called KVD001, has completed a Phase 2 clinical trial.
For more information, please visit www.kalvista.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “goal,” “seek,” “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “expect,” “strategy,” “future,” “likely,” “may,” “should,” “will” and similar references to future periods. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the potential impact of COVID-19, that could cause actual results to differ materially from what we expect. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, our expectations about safety and efficacy of our product candidates and timing of clinical trials and its results, our ability to commence or complete clinical studies and to obtain regulatory approvals for KVD900, KVD824 and other candidates in development, the ability of KVD900, KVD824 and other candidates in development to treat HAE or DME, the future progress and potential success of our oral Factor XIIa program, and the sufficiency of our cash, cash equivalents and investments to fund our operations. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect our business and financial results are detailed in our annual report on Form 10-K filed on July 1, 2020, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and other filings we may make from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
Contacts
KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Leah Monteiro
Senior Director, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations
857-999-0808
leah.monteiro@kalvista.com