EMERYVILLE, Calif., June 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: KYTX), a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company developing cell therapies for patients with autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointment of Ritesh Srivastava as Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, effective June 22, 2026. Mr. Srivastava brings extensive experience spanning legal, corporate strategy, compliance, and risk management, which will further support Kyverna as it advances miv-cel (mivocabtagene autoleucel, KYV-101) towards a potential first approval in stiff person syndrome and transitions to a commercial-stage organization.
"Ritesh is a key addition to Kyverna as we prepare for commercialization and enter our next phase of growth," said Warner Biddle, Chief Executive Officer of Kyverna. "Ritesh's experience in corporate governance, regulatory compliance, business and financial transactions, and legal operations at commercial-stage organizations will be invaluable as we advance our multi-indication neuroimmunology franchise."
Mr. Srivastava joins Kyverna from BPGbio, where he served as General Counsel and provided legal and strategic counsel across research and development, commercialization planning, and business operations. Prior to BPGbio, he served as Global Compliance Officer at Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, where he also advised the Board of Directors and its committees on corporate governance, risk management, and public company disclosure matters, and counseled on commercial transactions and strategic initiatives. Earlier, he served as Director of Compliance and Investigations at Avanir Pharmaceuticals.
As a former federal prosecutor with the United States Department of Justice, Mr. Srivastava has also led law enforcement teams in the investigation and prosecution of healthcare fraud and anti-kickback matters. Earlier in his career, Mr. Srivastava was a private practice litigator at Cooley LLP, where he provided legal counsel to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device companies. He began his career as an officer with the Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps, where he served for six years as a trial defense lawyer and later as Appellate Government Counsel, ultimately achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He holds a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from Columbia University.
"Kyverna has made remarkable progress with miv-cel, generating compelling clinical data and initiating the first BLA submission for an autoimmune CAR T-cell therapy," said Mr. Srivastava. "This is an exciting time to join the company, whose mission represents a meaningful opportunity to advance potentially curative treatments for patients while supporting the company's strategic priorities and long-term growth."
Inducement Grant
In connection with the appointment of Mr. Srivastava as Kyverna's Chief Legal and Compliance Officer, on his start date, June 22, 2026, Kyverna will grant Mr. Srivastava an option to purchase 260,000 shares of its common stock (Option). The Option will be granted pursuant to the Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. Amended and Restated 2024 Inducement Equity Incentive Plan and will be granted as an inducement material to Mr. Srivastava'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 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 Mr. Srivastava's appointment and 1/48th of the total number of shares subject to the Option vesting monthly thereafter, subject in each case to Mr. Srivastava's continued service to Kyverna on each vesting date. Kyverna is providing this information in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).
About miv-cel (mivocabtagene autoleucel, KYV-101)
Miv-cel is a fully human, autologous, CD19-targeting CAR T-cell therapy with CD28 co-stimulation, designed for potency and tolerability, which is under investigation for B-cell-driven autoimmune diseases. With a single administration, miv-cel has potential to achieve deep B-cell depletion and immune system reset to deliver durable drug-free, disease-free remission in autoimmune diseases.
About Kyverna Therapeuticssppo
Kyverna Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: KYTX) is a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company focused on liberating autoimmune patients through the curative potential of cell therapy. Kyverna's lead autologous CD19-targeting CAR T-cell therapy candidate, miv-cel (mivocabtagene autoleucel, KYV-101), has demonstrated the potential to fundamentally change the treatment paradigm across multiple B-cell-driven autoimmune diseases. Kyverna is advancing its potentially first-in-class neuroimmunology franchise with its recently completed registrational trial in stiff person syndrome (SPS) and an ongoing registrational trial for generalized myasthenia gravis. The Company has initiated its rolling BLA submission for SPS with the FDA. It is also harnessing other KYSA trials and investigator-initiated trials, including in multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, to inform the next priority indications. Additionally, its next generation pipeline includes CAR T-cell therapies deploying novel innovations to improve patient access and experience. 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: Kyverna's next phase of growth and potential long-term growth, including its transition to a commercial-stage organization; any potential approval of miv-cel in stiff person syndrome; Kyverna's pipeline opportunities and strategic priorities; Kyverna's potentially first-in-class neuroimmunology franchise; Kyverna's rolling BLA SPS submission; Kyverna's potential to advance curative treatments for patients; and miv-cel's potential to fundamentally change the treatment paradigm across multiple B-cell-driven autoimmune diseases, to achieve deep B-cell depletion and immune system reset to deliver durable drug-free, disease-free remission in autoimmune diseases. 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, the possibility that results from prior clinical trials, named-patient access activities and preclinical studies may not necessarily be predictive of future results; the possibility that the past track records of Kyverna and its personnel may not be repeated or indicative of future success; 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.
Contact:
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