Inhibikase Strengthens Leadership To Drive PAH Innovation And Growth

Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. has strengthened its leadership team by hiring two skilled pharmaceutical executives specialising in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Chris Cabell, M.D., former Chief Medical Officer at Arena Pharmaceuticals and CEO of CorHepta Pharmaceuticals, has been named President and Head of Research & Development. 

Additionally, John Adams, Ph.D., co-founder of CorHepta and former Head of Research at Arena Pharmaceuticals, will serve as Chief Scientific Officer. A board-certified cardiologist, Dr. Cabell has held leadership roles at Zura Bio, Emergent BioSolutions, and Quintiles. At the same time, Dr. John Adams brings expertise from Iambic Therapeutics, Reneo Pharmaceuticals, and Arena Pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, Vincent Aurentz joined the board of directors. These strategic appointments aim to drive Inhibikase’s growth and innovation in PAH treatment. 

Mark Iwicki, Chief Executive Officer of Inhibikase, commented, “Chris and John are outstanding scientific leaders with established track records in pulmonary arterial hypertension. Additionally, we expect these key executives will enable us to accelerate the build-out of our team as we prepare to execute the IkT-001 Phase 2 clinical trial in PAH. We are very pleased to welcome them and look forward to working together as they spearhead the IkT-001 development plan.”

“I know Chris and John well from our time at Arena. Their clinical trial efforts on PAH medicine, ralinepag, proved critical to successfully licensing that asset to United Therapeutics. I am also delighted to welcome Vince to our Board of Directors. Vince’s extensive experience in corporate strategy and business development will be an important asset for the Company moving forward,” said Amit Munshi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Inhibikase. 

Chris Cabell, M.D., said in a statement, “I am very pleased to join Inhibikase at such a promising moment in the development of IkT-001. As a cardiologist, I have spent considerable time understanding the unmet medical need for patients suffering from PAH and the opportunity for new medicines to treat this debilitating and life-threatening disease. I am excited about the breadth and depth of talent we are building in the team and look forward to conducting the Phase 2 trial for Ikt-001.”

In addition, Inhibikase has brought on Vincent Aurentz, a veteran biopharma executive with extensive experience in corporate strategy and business development. Aurentz previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Officer at Arena Pharmaceuticals, where he played a key role in Pfizer's acquisition of $6.7 billion in 2022. He was also instrumental in forming Arena’s spinout, Longboard Pharmaceuticals, which Lundbeck A/S recently acquired for approximately $2.6 billion. 

“I am excited to join the team at Inhibikase and look forward to contributing to developing IkT-001. Its unique mechanism and emerging clinical validation support the potential of IkT-001 to offer an innovative therapeutic option that is much needed in PAH. I am eager to be part of this journey and make a meaningful impact on patient care,” commented Dr  John Adams.