– USA, CA – Vera Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VERA), a late-stage biotechnology company today announced the appointment of Dr. Mike Morrissey (Ph.D.) as chairman of its board of directors.
“Mike’s experience leading Exelixis’ evolution into a fully integrated biopharmaceutical company will be immensely helpful to Vera as we prepare to move from late-stage clinical programs to potential commercial growth. We look forward to Mike’s guidance as we advance our various programs through development, engage in the regulatory review process, and then ultimately the potential commercialization of our product candidates,” said current Board Chairman, Kurt von Emster.
“This is an opportune moment for Mike to join our board. His drug development and commercialization experience, as well as his leadership and success as a company builder, are immediately relevant to the challenges before us. Mike’s enthusiasm for our opportunity is infectious, and I truly look forward to working with him,” said founder and CEO, Marshall Fordyce.
About Dr. Michael M. Morrissey
Dr. Morrissey has decades of scientific research and executive leadership experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. He has served as president and CEO of Exelixis since July 2010 and was its president of research and development from January 2007 to July 2010. During his tenure at Exelixis, he has worked collaboratively with the company’s research, clinical, regulatory, and manufacturing teams to support the development and commercialization of cabozantinib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has grown from an initial orphan drug indication into a global oncology franchise. In his executive leadership positions, he has also played critical roles in the company’s business development strategies, operations, and successful efforts to attract and retain a rapidly growing team of talented and dedicated employees. Before joining Exelixis, Dr. Morrissey held positions at Berlex Biosciences and CIBA-Geigy Corporation.
Dr. Morrissey said, “The desire to translate cutting-edge science into therapies that can improve patients’ lives has been the key driver throughout my career, and I welcome the opportunity to support Marshall and the team at Vera Therapeutics as they strive to change the standard of care for patients with immunologic diseases. The Company’s values of accountability, teamwork, and empathy are consistent with the culture that we have built at Exelixis, and I have seen first-hand what can be achieved when shared commitment is focused on addressing the unmet patient need. I look forward to working with Vera’s board and leadership team to realize the potential of the Company’s product candidates.”
He holds a B.S. (Honors) in chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University.
About Vera Therapeutics
Vera Therapeutics is a late-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments for serious immunological diseases. Vera’s mission is to advance treatments that target the source of immunologic diseases to change the standard of care for patients. Vera’s lead product candidate is atacicept, a fusion protein self-administered as a subcutaneous injection once weekly that blocks both B lymphocyte stimulator and a proliferation-inducing ligand, which stimulate B cells and plasma cells to produce autoantibodies contributing to certain autoimmune diseases, including IgA nephropathy, also known as Berger’s disease, and lupus nephritis. In addition, Vera is evaluating additional diseases where the reduction of autoantibodies by atacicept may prove medically useful. Vera is also developing MAU868, a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize infection with BK Virus, a polyomavirus that can have devastating consequences in certain settings such as kidney transplants.
For more information: https://veratx.com/
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