Paul Quinlan joins as General Counsel

Alan Lada joins as VP of Investor Relations

Kristine Ball, President & CEO of Antiva Biosciences, appointed to Board of Directors

MENLO PARK, Calif., and WALTHAM, Mass., June 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  Oruka Therapeutics, Inc. (“Oruka”), a biotechnology company developing novel biologics designed to set a new standard for the treatment of chronic skin diseases, including plaque psoriasis, today announced the appointment of Paul Quinlan, former General Counsel of CymaBay Therapeutics, as General Counsel & Secretary and Alan Lada, former Vice President of Equity Capital Markets at Guggenheim Partners, as Vice President of Investor Relations. In addition, Oruka announced the addition of industry leader Kristine Ball, currently President & CEO of Antiva Biosciences, to its Board of Directors.

“We are excited to welcome Paul and Alan to Oruka, especially as we advance towards operating as a public company. We will benefit greatly from Paul’s depth of legal and leadership experience in the biotechnology industry, as well as Alan’s extensive experience in investor relations and biotech capital markets,” said Lawrence Klein, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Oruka Therapeutics. “In addition, we’re thrilled for Kristine to join our Board of Directors. She brings a wealth of operating and finance expertise at biopharma companies, and we look forward to her valuable guidance as we build the company and advance ORKA-001 and ORKA-002 towards clinical trials.”

Paul Quinlan brings two decades of experience as a general counsel at both private and public biotechnology companies. Most recently, he served as General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, and Corporate Secretary of CymaBay Therapeutics, where he was responsible for the general supervision of the company’s legal affairs up to its acquisition by Gilead Sciences. Prior to his time at CymaBay, Mr. Quinlan held roles of increasing responsibility at leading biotech companies and law firms. He holds an LLM from Columbia Law School, a JD from Queen’s University in Canada, and an MSc in Biophysics from the University of Toronto.

Alan Lada joins Oruka with over a decade of experience in biopharma financial services, having most recently served as a VP of Equity Capital Markets at Guggenheim Partners. Before Guggenheim, Mr. Lada was an SVP and a leadership team member of Solebury Trout, a leading investor relations firm formerly known as the Trout Group. Additionally, Mr. Lada spent nine years in the in U.S. Army, between active duty and National Guard, and was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant after one tour in Afghanistan. He received his BA, magna cum laude, from Maryville University and studied political science at Rutgers College.

Kristine Ball has extensive leadership experience at biotechnology companies. She is currently President & CEO of Antiva Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, topical therapeutics for the treatment of high-risk infections and pre-cancerous lesions caused by human papilloma virus. Prior to joining Antiva, Ms. Ball served in a variety of senior roles in the life sciences industry, including as CEO of Soteria Biotherapeutics, SVP of Corporate Strategy and CFO of Menlo Therapeutics, SVP and CFO of Relypsa, SVP of Finance & Administration and CFO of KAI Pharmaceuticals, and VP of Finance at Exelixis. Earlier in her career, Ms. Ball served as a senior manager in the life sciences audit practice of Ernst & Young. She previously served on the board of directors of Soteria, Atreca, and Forty Seven, a Nasdaq-listed biotechnology company that was later acquired by Gilead Sciences. Ms. Ball received a BS from Babson College.

“I am honored to join this exceptional and growing team at Oruka Therapeutics as they make the transition to operating as a public company and their co-lead programs near the clinic. I’m inspired by the possibility of setting a new treatment standard in a disease area as important as psoriasis,” said Ms. Ball. “Oruka has made significant progress in a short period of time, and I look forward to contributing my expertise and passion as we continue to advance.”

About Oruka Therapeutics

Oruka Therapeutics is developing novel biologics designed to set a new standard for the treatment of chronic skin diseases. Oruka’s mission is to offer patients suffering from chronic skin diseases like plaque psoriasis the greatest possible freedom from their condition by achieving high rates of complete disease clearance with dosing as infrequently as one or twice a year. Oruka is advancing a proprietary portfolio of potentially best-in-class antibodies that were engineered by Paragon Therapeutics and target the core mechanisms underlying plaque psoriasis and other dermatologic and inflammatory diseases. For more information, visit www.orukatx.com and follow Oruka on LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, concerning Oruka and other matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, express or implied statements relating to Oruka’s management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future including, without limitation, Oruka’s business strategy, Oruka’s potential growth opportunities, Oruka’s preclinical and future clinical development activities, the potential therapeutic benefits and economic value of Oruka’s programs, the timing and results of preclinical studies and clinical trials, Oruka’s business plans and the anticipated benefits of the management changes. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “opportunity,” “potential,” “can,” “goal,” “aim,” “strategy,” “target,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “achieve,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions (including the negatives of these terms or variations of them) may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Oruka will be those that have been anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond Oruka’s control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results and performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors included in filings by Oruka from time to time. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of Oruka’s assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth therein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this press release, which speak only as of the date they are made and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements herein. Oruka does not undertake or accept any duty to make any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements. This press release does not purport to summarize all of the conditions, risks and other attributes of an investment in Oruka.

Oruka Therapeutics Investor Relations Contact:
Alan Lada
650-606-7911
alan.lada@orukatx.com