aTyr Pharma has announced the appointment of Dalia R. Rayes as Head of Commercial, Global Efzofitimod Franchise.

Rayes brings over 25 years of experience building and leading commercial organizations at biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, including leading rare disease product launches. She will serve as a member of the Company’s executive leadership team, overseeing global commercial strategy and operations for the efzofitimod program in interstitial lung disease (ILD), including its lead indication in pulmonary sarcoidosis.

“We are pleased to welcome Dalia to the company in advance of the upcoming readout for our Phase 3 EFZO-FIT™ study of efzofitimod in pulmonary sarcoidosis, which is expected in the third quarter of this year,” said Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S., President and Chief Executive Officer of aTyr.

“Her extensive experience commercializing products across multiple rare disease franchises, including respiratory and steroid reducing products, along with having led companies through their first product launch make her uniquely qualified to help advance efzofitimod toward potentially being the first new treatment approved for patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis in more than 70 years,” said Shukla.

“I am excited to join aTyr at this pivotal time and lead the effort to transform the company into a commercial stage organization, where there is an opportunity to build a multi-billion-dollar franchise in pulmonary sarcoidosis and other forms of ILD,” said Rayes.

“Having served as a strategic advisor to the company throughout the past year, I’ve had the opportunity to closely collaborate with the team and see the strong foundation already in place. I look forward to shaping the commercial strategies and helping to potentially deliver this important therapy to patients in need,” added Rayes.

Rayes most recently served as Senior Vice President, Head of Commercial for ChemoCentryx, Inc., where she developed and implemented the commercial strategy for the launch of their first product TAVNEOS® ahead of their subsequent acquisition by Amgen. Previously, she spent more than a decade working for Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd., where she held key commercial leadership roles across several franchises ahead of their acquisition by Johnson & Johnson.

As Senior Director, Business Unit Lead, she launched and scaled the rare disease franchise for VALCHLOR®, and earlier helped lead the blockbuster U.S. launch of OPSUMIT® within the pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) portfolio. She began her career at Algorithm Pharmaceuticals, overseeing product launches across 13 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Rayes holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from Beirut Arab University and an MBA from Lebanese American University.