Appoints accomplished commercial leader Chris Martin to its Board of Directors

MENLO PARK, Calif., Dec. 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oruka Therapeutics, Inc. (“Oruka”) (Nasdaq: ORKA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel biologics designed to set a new standard for the treatment of chronic skin diseases including plaque psoriasis (PsO), today announced the appointment of Chris Martin to its Board of Directors. Additionally, Cameron Turtle, DPhil, resigned from the Board effective December 11, 2025.

“As we rapidly advance our co-lead programs through development, I’m pleased to announce this board transition at Oruka,” said Lawrence Klein, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Oruka Therapeutics. “Chris’s expertise can bring tremendous value to the company as we advance towards late-stage development and think more concretely about how ORKA-001 and -002 could enter the market. We have greatly valued Cameron’s contributions on our Board in helping to shape our strategy and direction in the early stages of building our company, and I would like to personally thank him on behalf of our Board for his service.”

Mr. Martin has over 25 years of commercial expertise spanning sales, marketing, market access, commercial operations, and business development. Most recently he served as Chief Commercial Officer of Verona Pharma, which was acquired by Merck in October 2025 for approximately $10B. At Verona he was responsible for building the commercial organization and launch strategy for Ohtuvayreâ (ensifentrine), which has seen rapid commercial uptake for the maintenance treatment of COPD. Prior to Verona, he held a variety of commercial roles of increasing responsibility at SK Life Science, Melinta Therapeutics, and Salix Pharmaceuticals, which included leading multiple successful product launches and contributing to other corporate acquisitions. Mr. Martin received a Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from Clemson University.

About Oruka Therapeutics

Oruka Therapeutics is developing novel biologics designed to set a new standard for the treatment of chronic skin diseases. Oruka’s mission is to offer patients suffering from chronic skin diseases like plaque psoriasis the greatest possible freedom from their condition by achieving high rates of complete disease clearance with dosing as infrequently as once or twice a year. Oruka is advancing a proprietary portfolio of potentially best-in-class antibodies that were engineered by Paragon Therapeutics and target the core mechanisms underlying plaque psoriasis and other dermatologic and inflammatory diseases. For more information, visit www.orukatx.com and follow Oruka on LinkedIn.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, express or implied statements relating to Oruka’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future of its pipeline and business including, without limitation, Oruka’s ability to achieve the expected benefits or opportunities with respect to ORKA-001 and ORKA-002, including development timelines and potential dosing intervals. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting Oruka will be those that have been anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond Oruka's control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those uncertainties and factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” in Oruka’s most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of Oruka’s assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Nothing in this press release should be regarded as a representation by any person that the forward-looking statements set forth therein will be achieved or that any of the contemplated results of such forward-looking statements will be achieved. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements in this press release, which speak only as of the date they are made and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the cautionary statements herein and in Oruka’s SEC filings. Oruka does not undertake or accept any duty to make any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements.

Investor Contact:
Alan Lada
(650)-606-7911
alan.lada@orukatx.com