VERA - Vera Therapeutics Announces Appointment of Industry Veteran David L. Johnson as Chief Operating Officer | Benzinga
BRISBANE, Calif., July 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VERA), a late clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing transformative treatments for patients with serious immunological diseases, today announced the appointment of David L. Johnson as Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately.
"We are excited to have David join our executive team at this important time for our clinical program of atacicept for the treatment of IgAN. We expect long-term 96-week data from the Phase 2b ORIGIN trial later this year and primary endpoint results from our pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in the first half of 2025, and we look forward to planning for atacicept's potential commercial launch," said Marshall Fordyce, M.D., Founder and CEO of Vera Therapeutics. "David brings a wealth of operational and commercial experience in the biotech industry, including the successful commercial launches for a number of therapies. We look forward to partnering with him to ensure we can bring atacicept to patients in need."
"I am pleased to join the Vera team to help advance the company's plans for atacicept in its initial indication, the treatment of IgAN. We have a unique opportunity based on both the promising clinical data generated from this program to date, as well as a timeline that positions atacicept as one of the first B cell modulators to be approved for IgAN," commented Mr. Johnson.
Mr. Johnson brings more than 30 years of commercialization and operational experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Vera, he served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT) until it was acquired by Pfizer in 2022, during which time he established the company's global commercial functions and led the launch of Oxbryta. Prior to GBT, Mr. Johnson spent 15 years at Gilead Sciences, Inc., in roles of increasing responsibility. His most recent position was as Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Gilead's Liver Disease Business Unit, where he was responsible for building and leading the company's liver disease franchises, including commercially launching four industry leading medicines to treat hepatitis. Prior to that position, he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Gilead's Antiviral Business Unit, where he helped launch and oversee the HIV franchise. Mr. Johnson previously had an 11-year tenure at GSK plc, where he held various positions in sales, product marketing, business development, global commercial strategy and portfolio development. Mr. Johnson currently serves on the board of directors of Caribou Biosciences, a public gene therapy company. He received a B.A. in business marketing from the University of Puget Sound and an M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina.
About Atacicept
Atacicept is an investigational recombinant fusion protein that contains the soluble transmembrane activator and calcium-modulating cyclophilin ligand interactor (TACI) receptor that binds to the cytokines B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and A PRoliferation-Inducing Ligand (APRIL). These cytokines are members of the tumor necrosis factor ...