VICTORIA, British Columbia & ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:AUPH) (TSX:AUP), a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing voclosporin in multiple indications, today announced the appointment of Timothy P. Walbert, chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Horizon Therapeutics plc, to the Company’s Board of Directors.

“We are fortunate to have Tim join us at this critical juncture as we advance voclosporin through the regulatory process and prepare for potential commercialization,” commented Peter Greenleaf, President and Chief Executive Officer of Aurinia. “Having served as the CEO of public commercial-stage biotech firms, Tim brings a wealth of strategic experience built upon his past roles leading the global development and launch of multiple pharmaceutical products in the United States and internationally. We look forward to his insights and know he will add immense value as the newest member of our exceptional Board of Directors.”

Mr. Walbert has nearly 30 years of experience commercializing pharmaceutical products. Mr. Walbert is currently chairman, president and chief executive officer of Horizon Therapeutics plc. He also served as president, chief executive officer and director of IDM Pharma, Inc., a public biopharmaceutical company which was acquired by Takeda. Prior to IDM, Mr. Walbert was the executive vice president of commercial operations at NeoPharm, Inc. Prior to this he was the divisional vice president and general manager, immunology, at Abbott where he led the global development and launch of HUMIRA. Mr. Walbert also served as director, CELEBREX North America and arthritis team leader, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Canada at G.D. Searle & Company. Earlier in his career, he held sales and marketing roles with increasing responsibility at several multinational pharmaceutical companies including G.D. Searle, Merck & Co., Inc. and Wyeth. Mr. Walbert received his Bachelor of Arts in Business from Muhlenberg College, in Allentown, Pa.

“Voclosporin has the potential to help many people living with debilitating diseases, such as lupus nephritis, and I look forward to working with the Board, Peter and Aurinia’s leadership team to support the Company’s efforts toward successfully commercializing this innovative therapy,” added Mr. Walbert.

About Aurinia

Aurinia Pharmaceuticals is a late clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapies to treat targeted patient populations that are impacted by serious diseases with a high unmet medical need. The Company is currently developing an investigational drug, for the treatment of lupus nephritis (“LN”), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (“FSGS”) and dry eye syndrome (“DES”). The Company’s head office is in Victoria, British Columbia and focuses its development efforts globally. For further information, see our website at www.auriniapharma.com.