Aravive Appoints Reshma Rangwala, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer

HOUSTON, Sept. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aravive, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARAV), a clinical-stage oncology company developing transformative therapeutics, today announced the appointment of industry veteran and oncologist, Reshma Rangwala, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer.

“We are honored that Dr. Rangwala is bringing her strong industry and leadership experience to Aravive at a time when our lead compound, AVB-500, is advancing into a potential registrational trial in platinum resistant ovarian cancer,” said Gail McIntyre, Chief Executive Officer of Aravive. “Dr. Rangwala has extensive experience in oncology drug development, which should be invaluable to our clinical development strategies and protocol development. Her deep commitment to patients aligns with Aravive’s mission to improve the lives of people living with cancer.”

Dr. Rangwala has more than a decade of experience in oncology and drug development. Previously, she served as Vice President, Medical, at Genmab where she led the clinical development program for a first-in-class antibody drug conjugate and managed clinical strategy, protocol development, data monitoring, data analysis, study report authoring, and biologic licensing application preparations. Prior to that, she served as Executive Clinical Director at Merck & Co., where she was involved in the clinical development of KEYTRUDA in non-small cell lung cancer and gynecologic malignancies. She received her B.S. in Biology from Duke University and her M.D./Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr. Rangwala completed her internal medicine residency at Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, MO and her medical oncology fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

“I am excited to join the Aravive team at this pivotal time of growth and advancement for the Company,” said Dr. Rangwala. “The AVB-500 clinical trial results to date are promising, and I see substantial potential for AVB-500 and its use in combination with existing methods of care and as a maintenance therapy to treat a range of cancers for many patients. I look forward to joining Aravive’s efforts and helping advance the clinical program with the goal of changing the treatment landscape across various tumor types.”

About Aravive

Aravive, Inc. is a clinical-stage oncology company developing transformative therapeutics designed to halt the progression of life-threatening diseases. Aravive’s lead therapeutic, AVB-500, is an ultra-high affinity decoy protein that targets the GAS6-AXL signaling pathway associated with tumor cell growth. Aravive recently successfully completed a Phase 1b trial of AVB-500 in platinum resistant ovarian cancer and selected 15 mg/kg as the dose for the next potential pivotal trial. Analysis of all safety data to date showed that AVB-500 has been generally well-tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities or unexpected safety signals. While the Phase 1b trial of AVB-500 in platinum resistant ovarian cancer was a safety trial and not powered to demonstrate efficacy, all 5 patients in the 15 mg/kg cohort experienced clinical benefit, with 1 complete response, 2 partial responses, and 2 stable disease. The Company also intends to initiate a Phase 1b/Phase 2 trial of AVB-500 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma later this year. For more information, please visit www.aravive.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements (including within the meaning of Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended), express or implied, such as advancing AVB-500 into a potential registrational trial in platinum resistant ovarian cancer, Dr. Rangwala’s extensive experience in oncology drug development being invaluable to our clinical development strategies and protocol development, and the potential for AVB-500 and its use in combination with existing methods of care and as a maintenance therapy to treat a range of cancers for many patients and initiation of Phase 1b/2 trial of AVB-500 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma later this year. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions, are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: the contribution of Dr. Rangwala, the impact of COVID-19 on the Company's clinical strategy, clinical trials, supply chain and fundraising, the Company's ability to expand development into additional oncology indications, the Company's dependence upon AVB-500, AVB-500's ability to have favorable results in clinical trials and ISTs, the clinical trials of AVB-500 having results that are as favorable as those of preclinical and clinical trials, the ability to receive regulatory approval, potential delays in the Company's clinical trials due to regulatory requirements or difficulty identifying qualified investigators or enrolling patients especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic; the risk that AVB-500 may cause serious side effects or have properties that delay or prevent regulatory approval or limit its commercial potential; the risk that the Company may encounter difficulties in manufacturing AVB-500; if AVB-500 is approved, risks associated with its market acceptance, including pricing and reimbursement; potential difficulties enforcing the Company's intellectual property rights; the Company's reliance on its licensor of intellectual property and financing needs. The foregoing review of important factors that could cause actual events to differ from expectations should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with statements that are included herein and elsewhere, including the risk factors included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, recent Current Reports on Form 8-K and subsequent filings with the SEC. Except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contacts:

Media:
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(213) 262-9390

Investors:
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(910) 726-1372