CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and PORTON DOWN, United Kingdom, March 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KALV ), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule protease inhibitors, today announced the appointment of Andreas Maetzel, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D, to the role of Senior Vice President, Medical.
“Andreas brings a wealth of experience in hereditary angioedema (HAE) and over 25 years of leadership in the pharmaceutical industry, including clinical development, medical and regulatory affairs,” said Andrew Crockett, Chief Executive Officer of KalVista. “I am confident that he will help maximize the potential of our oral plasma kallikrein HAE portfolio as we continue to advance multiple programs into clinical development and develop a best-in-class oral therapy for this disease.”
Dr. Maetzel was most recently Vice President, Global Medical Affairs at BioCryst Pharmaceuticals. Prior to that he was Vice President, Clinical Development & Regulatory Affairs at Cornerstone Therapeutics Inc. Previously, Dr. Maetzel held a clinical development role at BioCryst, and also positions in strategy consulting and at Amgen. He is a Visiting Scientist, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Zurich and Charité Hospital Berlin, and Adjunct Professor, Institute for Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto. Dr. Maetzel obtained both a Ph.D and M.Sc. in Clinical Epidemiology from the University of Toronto and a Dr. med. at the University of Hannover, Germany.
Dr. Maetzel commented, “I am very excited to join KalVista at this juncture, with the Company advancing a portfolio of oral programs for HAE as well as developing oral and intravitreal therapies for diabetic macular edema (DME). I believe that the Company’s strategy of taking multiple compounds into clinical development to develop a best-in-class oral therapy for HAE takes full advantage of KalVista’s unique strengths in chemistry and biological understanding of plasma kallikrein. I look forward to working with the team to develop oral therapies for both HAE and DME.”
In connection with his employment, Dr. Maeztel is receiving an inducement grant of 65,000 options to purchase shares of KalVista common stock. The shares subject to the option will vest as to 25% of the shares on the first anniversary of employment and thereafter 1/48 of the shares will vest per month. This disclosure is made pursuant to NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).
About KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a pharmaceuticals company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule protease inhibitors for diseases with significant unmet need. The initial focus is on inhibitors of plasma kallikrein, which is an important component of the body’s inflammatory response, and which in excess can lead to increased vascular permeability, edema and inflammation. KalVista has developed a proprietary portfolio of novel, small molecule plasma kallikrein inhibitors initially targeting hereditary angioedema (HAE) and diabetic macular edema (DME). The Company has created a structurally diverse portfolio of oral plasma kallikrein inhibitors from which it plans to select multiple drug candidates to advance into clinical trials for HAE. The first of this planned portfolio of programs, KVD818, is currently in a first-in-human study that commenced in the second half of 2016, and additional program candidates are in preclinical development. KalVista’s most advanced program, an intravitreally administered plasma kallikrein inhibitor known as KVD001, has successfully completed its first-in-human study in patients with DME and is being prepared for Phase 2 studies in 2017.
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 that could cause actual results to differ materially from what we expect. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, future clinical trial timing and results. Further information on potential risk factors that could affect our business and its financial results are detailed in the definitive proxy statement filed on October 28, 2016, our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and other reports as filed 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.
Contact: KalVista Pharmaceuticals Leah Monteiro, Corporate Communications & Investor Relations 857-999-0808 lmm@KalVista.com
