Vera Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERA), a biotechnology company focused on immunological diseases, has announced the appointment of Jason S. Carter as Chief Legal Officer, effective immediately. This strategic hire comes as Vera Therapeutics anticipates key milestones for its lead product candidate, atacicept, including topline results from the pivotal ORIGIN 3 trial in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) expected in the second quarter of 2025.
Marshall Fordyce, M.D., Founder and CEO of Vera Therapeutics, stated that Carter's experience will be invaluable as the company prepares for potential regulatory approvals and commercialization. Carter's background includes significant roles at Kite Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo, Novartis, and Baxter, where he oversaw legal and compliance activities related to product launches, R&D, manufacturing, and intellectual property management.
Carter's Perspective
Carter expressed his enthusiasm to join Vera, emphasizing the company's mission to develop therapies for patients with unmet needs. He specifically highlighted his support for the advancement of atacicept as a potential treatment option for IgAN and other autoimmune kidney diseases.
About Atacicept
Atacicept is an investigational recombinant fusion protein that blocks both B-cell Activating Factor (BAFF) and A PRoliferation-Inducing Ligand (APRIL). These cytokines promote B-cell survival and autoantibody production, which contribute to autoimmune diseases such as IgAN and lupus nephritis. The Phase 2b ORIGIN clinical trial of atacicept in IgAN met its primary and key secondary endpoints, demonstrating statistically significant and clinically meaningful proteinuria reductions and stabilization of eGFR versus placebo through 36 weeks. The safety profile during the randomized period was comparable between atacicept and placebo. Through 96 weeks, atacicept demonstrated further reductions in Gd-IgA1, hematuria, and proteinuria, as well as stabilization of eGFR reflecting a profile consistent with that of the general population without IgAN.
Atacicept has received FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the treatment of IgAN, reflecting the FDA’s determination that the drug may demonstrate substantial improvement on a clinically significant endpoint over available therapies based on data from the Phase 2b ORIGIN trial. Vera believes atacicept is positioned for best-in-class potential, targeting B cells to reduce autoantibodies and having been administered to more than 1,500 patients in clinical studies across different indications.
Vera's Pipeline
Vera Therapeutics is also developing MAU868, a monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize infection with BK virus (BKV), a polyomavirus that can have devastating consequences in certain settings such as kidney transplant. Vera retains all global developmental and commercial rights to atacicept and MAU868.
