Artiva Biotherapeutics Appoints Elaine Sorg To Board To Guide AlloNK Development For Autoimmune Diseases And Rheumatoid Arthritis

Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing safe, effective, and accessible cell therapies for patients with serious autoimmune diseases and cancers, announced the appointment of Elaine Sorg to its Board of Directors. Ms. Sorg brings more than 35 years of executive leadership and commercial experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, including a key role in the commercialization of major immunology therapies such as HUMIRA® (adalimumab) and RINVOQ® (upadacitinib) for rheumatoid arthritis.

Fred Aslan, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Artiva Biotherapeutics, welcomed Ms. Sorg to the board, emphasizing her extensive experience in building and scaling biopharmaceutical companies and launching innovative therapies. Dr. Aslan noted that her strategic perspective will be invaluable as Artiva prepares to share clinical activity data from its AlloNK regimen in rheumatoid arthritis and engages with the FDA on a registrational trial.

Dr. Aslan also highlighted the potential of AlloNK, explaining that it enables deep B-cell depletion and may offer a differentiated profile in rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. He emphasized that AlloNK could provide superior efficacy compared to currently approved therapies, while offering biologics-like convenience, safety, tolerability, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. He added that Ms. Sorg’s guidance will be critical as Artiva lays the groundwork for future commercialization and positions the company for long-term success.

Ms. Sorg expressed her excitement about joining Artiva’s board, noting the importance of this stage in the company’s development. She described AlloNK as an innovative approach to addressing significant unmet needs in autoimmune diseases and expressed her commitment to supporting the company’s next phase of development and eventual commercialization.

Throughout her career, Ms. Sorg has held senior leadership roles at leading pharmaceutical companies, including AbbVie and Eli Lilly. At AbbVie, she served as Senior Vice President and President of U.S. Commercial Operations, overseeing the largest commercial business within the company and leading the U.S. commercialization of a broad portfolio of medicines across multiple therapeutic areas. She also served as Head of U.S. Immunology, managing the commercial strategy and performance of major autoimmune disease brands such as HUMIRA, Skyrizi® (risankizumab-rzaa), and RINVOQ. Prior to AbbVie, Ms. Sorg spent over two decades at Eli Lilly in various sales, marketing, and general management roles.

In addition to her industry experience, Ms. Sorg currently serves as a director of CSL Limited and as a member of the Scientific Strategy Board of Galapagos. She is a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council at Purdue University’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and serves as a senior adviser at Boston Consulting Group, advising global healthcare clients on strategic initiatives. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Purdue University, along with postgraduate certifications from the University of Chicago Booth School of Management and Harvard Business School.