ReAlta names Howard Berman CEO and Kia Motesharei president and COO

ReAlta Life Sciences Inc. announced the appointment of Howard Berman, Ph.D., as chairman and chief executive officer and Kia Motesharei, Ph.D., as president and chief operating officer. The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focuses on targeting neutrophils and complement system components for inflammatory disorder treatments.

Berman, who served as executive chairman since November 2025, will lead the company's strategy, clinical development, and corporate execution. Motesharei, recently appointed to the board of directors, will oversee operations, business development, and strategic partnerships. The appointments support ReAlta's late-stage clinical development of pegtarazimod for treating Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy and other conditions.

Berman previously served as CEO of Coya Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: COYA), which he founded and led through its initial public offering and business development transactions worth up to $700 million. He currently serves as Coya's executive chairman and sits on the board of Atea Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AVIR). Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at AbbVie Inc., Eli Lilly and Co., and Novartis AG.

Motesharei brings experience from more than 100 transactions across licensing, mergers and acquisitions, financings, and strategic partnerships. At Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc., he helped raise over $1 billion in capital and supported FDA approval of Rezdiffra, the first approved therapy for NASH/MASH. The company's market capitalization increased from approximately $800 million to more than $7 billion during his tenure.

ReAlta's lead candidate pegtarazimod has received FDA Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designations for Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy, along with similar designations for acute Graft versus Host Disease from both FDA and EMA.

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