Oriva Therapeutics appoints Dr. Agnès Arbat as CEO to advance its clinical pipeline in women’s health

Barcelona, Spain – June 11, 2026: Oriva Therapeutics (“Oriva”), a women’s health company developing first-in-class and best-in-class therapies to treat chronic and prevalent diseases affecting women, today announces the appointment of biotech entrepreneur Dr. Agnès Arbat as Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Arbat brings more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and a strong track record in clinical development, regulatory affairs, and commercial strategy in women’s health. Throughout her career, she has played a key role in more than 20 clinical studies in this field. She has also contributed to the launch of more than 10 products, including Nexplanon, Xarelto, and Ventavis.

She was previously Co-Founder and CEO of Oxolife, a biotech company focused on female fertility. Prior to that, she led the Women’s Health and Cardiovascular Medical Team at Bayer and held Medical Affairs roles in Women’s Health at Organon.

Dr. Arbat will also serve as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Oriva. She joins an experienced leadership team composed of biochemist Cristina Balagué, PhD (Chief Scientific Officer); pharmacist Rosa Torres Ferraz, PhD (Head of Medical and Regulatory Affairs); biotech entrepreneur and scientist Ljudmila Katchan, PhD (Head of Operations); and clinical trials expert Marta Llorens (Head of Clinical Operations), with the company’s financial strategy overseen by Roger Juanpere (Chief Financial Officer).

Dr. Agnès Arbat, CEO of Oriva Therapeutics, stated: “Oriva’s assets have the potential to offer best-in-class treatments for women worldwide suffering from frequent, painful, and debilitating gynecological diseases, addressing significant unmet medical needs. As CEO and CMO, I look forward to working with the company’s leadership team to advance its outstanding programs through development. With clinical activity already underway and strong backing from Asabys, we are well positioned to execute and deliver meaningful progress for patients.”

Clara Campàs, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Asabys Partners, stated: “Agnès’ deep scientific expertise in women’s health and strong leadership track record make her the ideal candidate to lead Oriva as it advances its programs and accelerates toward its next stage of growth.”

Oriva was founded earlier this year with support from Asabys and is currently advancing its clinical pipeline, which includes two late-stage assets. Its lead program is ORV-362, a first-in-class, non-hormonal, disease-modifying therapy for endometriosis, which affects approximately 10% of women of reproductive age worldwide.

Endometriosis – the growth of tissue similar to the uterine lining in other parts of the body, typically within the pelvis – is a painful condition that can negatively impact fertility. Despite its prevalence and significant impact on women, treatment options remain limited, and none address the underlying disease while preserving fertility.

ORV-362 is designed as a disease-modifying therapy that does not interfere with conception. It has already demonstrated a favorable safety profile in early-stage clinical trials. The program entered Phase I clinical development in healthy women in January 2026, with initial clinical results expected before the end of the year.

Oriva’s second program, ORV-499, targets uterine fibroids, the most common type of benign gynecological tumor. ORV-499 is expected to enter Phase I clinical trials in Q1 2027. Both assets target well-validated pathways and leverage novel chemistry, providing clear differentiation from existing treatment options and other drugs in development.

Dr. Arbat holds a Medical Degree from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona with a specialization in Clinical Pharmacology and completed the General Management Program at IESE Business School. She is an invited lecturer and mentor for the Master’s in Pharmaceutical Industry and Biotechnology at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC). Last year, she received the EU Women Innovators Prize at the European Innovation Council (EIC) Summit, the Catalonia Health Innovation Award, and the European Investment Bank Group Award for advancing innovation in women’s health.

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For further information:

Optimum Strategic Communications
Mary Clark / Stephen Adams / Katie Flint / Aoife Minihan
T: +44 208 078 4357
E: oriva@optimumcomms.com

About Oriva Therapeutics
Oriva Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on women’s health, dedicated to developing first-in-class and best-in-class therapies for chronic and prevalent gynecological diseases with high unmet medical need. Based in Barcelona, the company is focused on advancing innovative, disease-modifying approaches aimed at improving both clinical outcomes and quality of life for women. Oriva’s pipeline is centered on two advanced programs in endometriosis and uterine fibroids, leveraging novel chemistry directed at validated biological pathways and differentiated from existing treatment options. The company was funded by Sabadell Asabys II, a fund managed by Asabys Partners, and is supported by assets from Oncostellae and Medibiofarma.

About Asabys Partners
Asabys Partners is a Barcelona-based venture capital firm specialized in healthcare and life sciences innovation, including biopharma, medical technology, and digital health. The firm aims to support highly innovative, transformative technologies addressing unmet medical needs, with the purpose of turning disruptive science into meaningful patient outcomes. With more than €400 million in assets under management and 23 portfolio companies, Asabys is backed by Alantra and Banco Sabadell as anchor investors. The investment was made through Sabadell Asabys Health Innovation Investments II, FCR, and Sabadell Asabys Health Innovation Investments 2B, SCR SA.