CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & SALISBURY, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:KALV), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule protease inhibitors, announced today that Martin Edwards has been appointed and Richard H. Aldrich is resigning from the Company’s Board of Directors. Both changes are part of a planned transition and are effective immediately.

“Rich has been an integral part of KalVista since before the Company went public, and we thank him for his service and support,” said Andrew Crockett, Chief Executive Officer of KalVista. “His extensive experience and broad industry knowledge were critical in the emergence of KalVista and he has been a key contributor to our success. I’d also like to welcome Martin to KalVista. Martin’s thorough understanding of our science was built when he led the founding investment and served on the Board. His long involvement with KalVista as well as his deep drug development experience will be invaluable to us as we continue our advancement into a late stage organization, with an increasing focus on approval and commercialization of KVD900 as well as building a pipeline of further clinical candidates.”

“KalVista is at an exciting time in its evolution,” said Dr. Edwards. “With two Phase 2 clinical trials reading out later this year, I look forward to helping advance these potential therapies rapidly towards commercialization. I believe there is unrealized potential for a safe, oral treatment of hereditary angioedema, or HAE, such as KVD900, and I look forward to the Company providing another treatment option for patients.”

Dr. Edwards is Senior Partner (part time) at Novo Ventures and previously served as Chair of KalVista when it was a privately held company. He is Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vantia Therapeutics Ltd., and a member of the Board of Directors of Verona Pharma, Nuvelution Pharmaceuticals Inc, Harmony Biosciences Inc, Inozyme Pharma Inc, F2G Ltd, and Karus Therapeutics Ltd. Prior to joining Novo Ventures, Dr. Edwards was the CEO of ReNeuron Holdings, and formerly Corporate VP and Head of Drug Development for Novo Nordisk A/S where he was responsible for all aspects of pre-clinical and clinical drug development. Earlier, he worked for six years in the USA first as VP Pharmacology and Medical Affairs of ZymoGenetics Inc. in Seattle, and then as Senior VP for Medical Affairs at Novo Nordisk in Princeton, NJ. Dr. Edwards trained in physiology and medicine in Manchester UK. He was elected as a Member of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, a Member with distinction of the Royal College of General Practitioners, a Fellow of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine and holds an MBA from the University of Warwick.

About KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

KalVista Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of small molecule protease inhibitors for diseases with significant unmet need. The initial focus is on inhibitors of plasma kallikrein, which is an important component of the body’s inflammatory response and which, in excess, can lead to increased vascular permeability, edema and inflammation. KalVista has developed a proprietary portfolio of novel, small molecule plasma kallikrein inhibitors initially targeting hereditary angioedema (HAE) and diabetic macular edema (DME). The Company has created a structurally diverse portfolio of oral plasma kallikrein inhibitors and is advancing multiple drug candidates for HAE as well as DME. The Company has selected KVD900 as its program to be advanced as an on-demand therapy for HAE attacks and commenced a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study in HAE patients in late 2018. In DME, KalVista’s most advanced program, an intravitreally administered plasma kallikrein inhibitor known as KVD001, began a Phase 2 clinical trial in 2017 that is anticipated to complete in the second half of 2019.

For more information, please visit www.kalvista.com.