HOUSTON– Coya Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: COYA) (“Coya” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing multiple therapeutic platforms intended to enhance Treg function, including biologics and cell therapies, today announced the appointment of Arun Swaminathan, Ph.D. to the role of Chief Business Officer. In this role, Arun will be responsible for facilitating new business development partnerships, including in/out licensing opportunities, across the Company’s pipeline.
Dr. Swaminathan comes to Coya with over 20 years of hands-on healthcare business executive experience with an emphasis on corporate and business development, strategy, and finance. He possesses a demonstrated history of prospecting, evaluating, structuring, and closing company validating transactions
“Our team is excited to welcome Arun to Coya at such an exciting time in our evolution. We look forward to working with him as we leverage his extensive experience and successful track record in corporate strategy and business development,” said Howard H. Berman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer. “This is an opportune time for Arun to join our team on the heels of recent positive data and as we accelerate the clinical development of our biologic and cell therapy Treg immunomodulatory assets. We are confident that Arun’s contributions will prove to be impactful for Coya and our shareholders.”
“Coya has an innovative pipeline, and its multiple therapeutic platforms provide a strong base for potential value-creating partnerships,” said Dr. Swaminathan. “I look forward to working with Howard and the Coya team to realize the promise of Coya’s portfolio and deliver new therapies for patients.”
Prior to joining Coya, Dr. Swaminathan served as Chief Business Officer (CBO) for Actinium Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: ATNM) where he was responsible for all business development including out-licensing, in-licensing and other creative value generating options. Within one year of joining Actinium, he successfully moved forward negotiations to closure and executed a $452M deal with $35M upfront payment. Prior to Actinium, he was the chief business officer at Alteogen (196170.KQ) where he spearheaded over $6B in deals, including with two of the top 10 global pharma companies and a $1B+ deal within the first year of assuming the role of CBO. Prior to this, he co-founded and served as CEO of Lynkogen Inc, a pre-clinical stage biotech.
Dr. Swaminathan began his career in clinical development and commercial roles of increasing responsibility at Bristol Myers Squibb and Covance. He obtained his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from University of Pittsburgh.
