Verve Therapeutics Appoints Allison Dorval, Experienced Financial Executive, as Chief Financial Officer

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Verve Therapeutics, Inc., (Nasdaq: VERV), a biotech company pioneering a new approach to the care of cardiovascular disease with single-course gene editing medicines, today announced that Allison Dorval has been appointed as chief financial officer. Ms. Dorval joins Verve from Voyager Therapeutics and brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in finance, accounting, financial reporting and investor relations.

“Allison joins Verve at an exciting stage of our company’s evolution, on the heels of a successful IPO earlier this year and recent preclinical data updates from our lead programs targeting PCSK9 and ANGPTL3 as base editing therapies for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease indications,” said Sekar Kathiresan, M.D., co-founder and chief executive officer of Verve. “Her extensive experience leading finance functions within prominent biotech organizations will be invaluable as we move forward with important corporate and program milestones in 2022, including planned regulatory engagements and the start of our first clinical trial with VERVE-101. We are thrilled to welcome her to the team.”

“Verve has an opportunity to truly transform the way cardiovascular disease is treated with single-course gene editing treatments, and I’m excited to join this important mission,” said Ms. Dorval. “The impressive data generated to date from Verve’s lead programs are building the foundation to support the transition to a clinical-stage organization, and I look forward to partnering with this exceptional team to guide the company through this next phase and closer to the many patients we have the opportunity to help.”

Ms. Dorval joins Verve from Voyager Therapeutics, bringing an extensive track record of leading finance and accounting functions within the healthcare industry. Prior to Voyager, Ms. Dorval served at Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Insulet Corporation, where she led financial planning, reporting and accounting. Previously, Ms. Dorval held corporate finance positions with iBasis, Inc. and Digitas Inc. Ms. Dorval is a certified public accountant and began her career in public accounting at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, where she held positions of increasing responsibility and scope. She currently serves on the Boards of Aerovate Therapeutics and Puma Biotechnology. Ms. Dorval obtained a B.S. in business administration from the University of Vermont.

About Verve Therapeutics

Verve Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VERV) is a genetic medicines company pioneering a new approach to the care of cardiovascular disease, transforming treatment from chronic management to single-course gene editing medicines. The company’s initial two programs target PCSK9 and ANGPTL3, genes that have been extensively validated as targets for lowering blood lipids such as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), a root cause of cardiovascular disease. Verve’s lead product candidate, VERVE-101, is designed to permanently turn off the PCSK9 gene in the liver in order to disrupt blood PCSK9 protein production and thereby durably reduce blood LDL-C levels, with the goal of reducing a patient’s risk for cardiovascular disease. VERVE-101, currently in IND-enabling studies, is being developed initially for the treatment of patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia, a potentially fatal genetic heart disease. For more information, please visit www.VerveTx.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 that involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the initiation, and timing, of the Company’s planned regulatory engagements and future clinical trials. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, contained in this press release, including statements regarding the Company’s strategy, future operations, future financial position, prospects, plans and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Any forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in, or implied by, such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with the Company’s limited operating history; the timing of and the Company’s ability to submit applications for, its product candidates; advance its product candidates in clinical trials; initiate and enroll clinical trials on the timeline expected or at all; correctly estimate the potential patient population and/or market for the Company’s product candidates; replicate in clinical trials positive results found in preclinical studies and/or earlier-stage clinical trials of VERVE-101 and its other product candidates; advance the development of its product candidates under the timelines it anticipates in current and future clinical trials; obtain, maintain or protect intellectual property rights related to its product candidates; manage expenses; and raise the substantial additional capital needed to achieve its business objectives. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Company’s actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the “Risk Factors” section, as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties and other important factors, in the Company’s most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in other filings that the Company makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the future. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date hereof and should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company’s views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.