GAITHERSBURG, Md., April 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Viela Bio (Nasdaq:VIE), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering treatments for autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases, today announced the election of Rachelle Jacques to its Board of Directors. As a veteran of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, Ms. Jacques has held various leadership roles of increasing responsibility throughout her career. She currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer at Enzyvant Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for patients with rare diseases.

“We are pleased to welcome Rachelle to our Board of Directors,” commented Bing Yao, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Viela Bio. “Her expertise in launching and marketing important therapeutics for rare diseases will help further strengthen our capabilities as we prepare for the potential commercialization of our lead asset, inebilizumab, for the treatment of patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder.”

Prior to joining Enzyvant, Ms. Jacques served as the Senior Vice President and Global Complement Franchise Head at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Previously, Ms. Jacques was Vice President of U.S. Hematology Marketing at Shire plc, which acquired Baxalta Inc. (“Baxalta”) in 2016 and served as Vice President of Business Operations at Baxalta after its spinoff from Baxter International Inc. (“Baxter”) in 2015. Also at Baxter, Ms. Jacques held multiple leadership positions, including Vice President of Finance, U.S. BioScience Business.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Jacques served in various roles of increasing responsibility at Dow Corning Corporation, including U.S. and international operational management roles.

Ms. Jacques currently serves on the Board of Directors of Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRBP). She received a B.A. degree in business administration from Alma College.

About Viela Bio

Viela Bio, headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel treatments for autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases. For more information, please visit www.vielabio.com.