BRISBANE, Calif., July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERA), a commercial-stage biotechnology company, today announced a planned transition of the Chief Regulatory Officer position. William Turner, current Chief Regulatory Officer of Vera Therapeutics, is planning to retire and transition to the role of Strategic Advisor in the third quarter of this year after a successful tenure at the company, including the recent accelerated approval of Vera Therapeutics' first therapy in IgA nephropathy (IgAN), TRUTAKNA (atacicept-vymj). Nancy Boman, M.D., Ph.D., will succeed Mr. Turner as Chief Regulatory Officer of Vera Therapeutics.
"On behalf of the Board of Directors and everyone at Vera Therapeutics, I want to thank Bill for his exceptional leadership and for developing and executing the regulatory strategy resulting in the approval of TRUTAKNA," said Marshall Fordyce, M.D., Founder and CEO of Vera Therapeutics. "Since joining Vera Therapeutics, Bill has been an integral leader, building extraordinary teams in his organization and helping to preside over our first approved therapy."
"Working at Vera Therapeutics with outstanding and purpose-driven colleagues has been a career highlight for me," said William Turner. "It has been rewarding to have accomplished so much together, particularly establishing Vera Therapeutics as a leader in autoimmune diseases of the kidney with the approval of a first-in-class therapy in IgAN. I am looking forward to continuing to work with Nancy over the coming months as she brings her expertise to the Chief Regulatory Officer role."
Dr. Nancy Boman brings more than 25 years of experience in regulatory affairs. Most recently, she served as the Chief Regulatory Officer at Kyverna Therapeutics. Prior to Kyverna, Dr. Boman held Chief Regulatory Officer roles at Adicet Bio, Encoded Therapeutics and Novartis Gene Therapies (formerly AveXis). She has held leadership roles in regulatory and clinical development at numerous biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies including Amgen, Genentech, and Alder. Dr. Boman began her career as a scientist, earning a Ph.D. in biochemistry, an M.D., and a bachelor's degree in human physiology from the University of British Columbia.
"It is a pleasure to welcome Nancy to Vera Therapeutics. Her experience in regulatory affairs coupled with her medical and scientific background will be invaluable to our team as we pursue new indications for TRUTAKNA in other autoimmune kidney diseases in the near future, as well as working with regulatory bodies to develop approval pathways for other molecules in our pipeline," said Dr Fordyce. "Nancy has overseen the approval of multiple therapies from health authorities around the world, and we look forward to working with her as we continue to pursue truth in science to transform medicine in autoimmune diseases, starting with the kidney."
"I am thrilled to join Vera Therapeutics at this pivotal moment and build upon the outstanding regulatory success the company has achieved under Bill's tenure," said Dr. Boman. "Throughout my career, I've viewed the regulatory process as both a physician focused on patient care and a scientist focused on targeting the root cause of disease. I look forward to combining my clinical insights with regulatory strategy to ensure that we bring safe and effective therapies that address unmet medical needs."
About Vera Therapeutics
Vera Therapeutics is a commercial-stage biotechnology company focused on the pursuit of truth in science to transform medicine in autoimmune disease, starting with the kidney. Vera Therapeutics' flagship commercial product is TRUTAKNA (atacicept-vymj), a B-cell activating factor (BAFF) and A proliferation-inducing ligand (APRIL) inhibitor indicated to reduce proteinuria in adults with primary IgA nephropathy at risk for disease progression. Beyond IgAN, Vera Therapeutics is evaluating additional diseases where the reduction of autoantibodies through inhibition of BAFF and APRIL may prove clinically meaningful. Vera Therapeutics was founded in 2016 and is based in Brisbane, California. To learn more, visit www.veratx.com.
TRUTAKNA Indication
TRUTAKNA (atacicept-vymj) is indicated to reduce proteinuria in adults with primary immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) at risk for disease progression.
This indication is approved under accelerated approval based on reduction of proteinuria. It has not been established whether TRUTAKNA slows kidney function decline over the long-term in patients with IgAN. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory clinical trial.
Important Safety Information
Contraindications: TRUTAKNA is contraindicated in patients with serious hypersensitivity to atacicept-vymj or any excipients of TRUTAKNA.
Warnings and Precautions
Immunosuppression and Increased Risk of Infections: TRUTAKNA suppresses the immune system by reducing antibody production, which may increase the risk of infections. Patients with chronic infection or recurring infections may have an increased risk of serious infection. In clinical trials, infections were reported in 32% of TRUTAKNA patients compared with 28% of placebo patients.
Before initiating TRUTAKNA, assess patients for active infections. Delay TRUTAKNA administration in patients with active infection until the infection resolves or is adequately treated. Monitor patients for signs and symptoms of infection during treatment with TRUTAKNA. If a serious infection develops, consider interrupting TRUTAKNA until the infection is controlled.
The concomitant use of TRUTAKNA and other immune-modulating therapies has not been evaluated. Concomitant use of TRUTAKNA with drugs that affect the immune system, including systemic corticosteroids, may increase the risk of infection.
Immunosuppression and Immunization Risk: TRUTAKNA may interfere with the immune response to vaccines and increase the risk of infection from live vaccines. Prior to initiating treatment with TRUTAKNA, complete all age-appropriate immunizations. Live vaccines are not recommended within 30 days prior to initiation or during treatment with TRUTAKNA as safety of coadministration has not been established.
Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions (=5%) in patients treated with TRUTAKNA and placebo, respectively, were infections (32% vs 28%) and local administration reactions (30% vs 5%). The most common infection was upper respiratory tract infection (12% vs 9%), and the most common local administration reactions were injection site reaction (19% vs 2%) and injection site erythema (6% vs 1%).
Use in Specific Populations
Pregnancy: Available data on TRUTAKNA used in pregnant women exposed during clinical trials are insufficient to evaluate for a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or other adverse maternal or fetal outcomes.
Based on the mechanism of action, TRUTAKNA may cause immunosuppression in the in utero-exposed infant. Consider the potential clinical impact of TRUTAKNA exposure in infants exposed in utero. Pregnant women exposed to TRUTAKNA, or their healthcare provider, should report TRUTAKNA exposure by calling 1-833-633-8372.
Pediatric Use: The safety and effectiveness of TRUTAKNA in pediatric patients have not been established.
You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. You may also report side effects to Vera Therapeutics at 1-833-MED-VERA or medinfo@veratx.com.
Please see full Prescribing Information for additional Important Safety Information.
Forward-looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters, events or results that may occur in the future are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, the expertise and experience the new Chief Regulatory Officer will bring to the company; the potential for the medical and scientific background of the new Chief Regulatory Officer to be invaluable to the company; Vera Therapeutics' ability to be a leader in autoimmune diseases of the kidney; Vera Therapeutics' ability to pursue new indications for TRUTAKNA in other autoimmune kidney diseases in the near future; Vera Therapeutics' ability to develop approval pathways for other molecules in its pipeline; and the plans, commitments, aspirations and goals under the caption "About Vera Therapeutics". Words such as "believe," "expect," "may," "plan," "potential," "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Vera Therapeutics' current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks related to the regulatory approval process, results of earlier clinical trials may not be obtained in later clinical trials, preliminary results may not be predictive of topline results, risks and uncertainties associated with Vera Therapeutics' business in general, the impact of macroeconomic and geopolitical events, and the other risks described in Vera Therapeutics' filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management's assumptions and estimates as of such date. Vera Therapeutics undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.
Investor Contact:
Joyce Allaire
LifeSci Advisors
212-915-2569
jallaire@lifesciadvisors.com
Media Contact:
Debra Charlesworth
Vera Therapeutics
415-854-8051
corporatecommunications@veratx.com
