Dicerna™ Hires Industry Veterans to Lead Regulatory Affairs and Patient Advocacy

Dicerna™ Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: DRNA) (the “Company” or “Dicerna”), a leading developer of investigational ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) therapeutics, today announced the appointment of Steven A. Kates, Ph.D., as vice president, regulatory affairs, and of David J. Caponera as head of patient advocacy and patient services.

“We are thrilled to have Steve Kates and Dave Caponera join Dicerna, as our steady progress in clinical development underscores the need to bolster our capabilities in regulatory affairs and patient advocacy,” said Douglas M. Fambrough, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Dicerna. “The infusion of such extraordinary talent to our executive leadership team will help Dicerna meet the needs of underserved patient communities as we continue to evolve into a fully integrated commercial company.”

Dr. Kates has three decades of experience in the development and regulation of human therapeutics and life science products. He joins Dicerna from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, where, as director of regulatory affairs, he forged a global regulatory alignment for vaccine projects in various stages of development. He has also held leadership roles in regulatory affairs at Lakewood-Amedex, Ischemix (formerly Ceremedix) and Citius Pharmaceuticals, as well as scientific research positions at Surface Logic, Consensus Pharmaceuticals and Millipore Corporation. A part-time assistant professor of regulatory affairs for drugs, biologics and medical devices at Northeastern University College of Professional Studies, Dr. Kates has authored 24 reviews, 80 papers, eight patents, and 23 abstracts and meeting contributions. He has also served on the editorial board of Applied Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, and has edited numerous textbooks and manuscripts on medicinal chemistry and solid-phase synthesis. Dr. Kates earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Bates College and a Ph.D. in Synthetic Organic Chemistry from Brandeis University.

Mr. Caponera has worked for nearly 25 years as a specialist in patient advocacy and engagement, both within the pharmaceutical industry and as an independent consultant. His industry experience includes four years at Catalyst Pharmaceuticals, where, as Vice President, Patient Engagement and Access Support, he developed a unique support program for a rare disease patient community that had previously had limited access to treatment and educational resources. Mr. Caponera has also held senior positions in patient advocacy, reimbursement and access services at Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Amicus Therapeutics and Genzyme. A licensed respiratory therapist, Mr. Caponera holds a B.S. in Biology (Genetics) from Cornell University and an M.A. in Health Administration from Duke University.

About Dicerna™ Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Dicerna™ Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative, subcutaneously delivered RNAi-based therapeutics for the treatment of diseases involving the liver, including rare diseases, chronic liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases and viral infectious diseases. Dicerna is leveraging its proprietary GalXC™ RNAi technology platform to build a broad pipeline in these core therapeutic areas, focusing on target genes where connections between target gene and diseases are well understood and documented. Dicerna intends to discover, develop and commercialize novel therapeutics either on its own or in collaboration with pharmaceutical partners. Dicerna has strategic collaborations with Eli Lilly and Company, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH. For more information, please visit www.dicerna.com.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Applicable risks and uncertainties include risks relating to Dicerna’s clinical and preclinical research and other risks identified under the heading "Risk Factors" included in the Company’s most recent Form 10-Q filing and in other future filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect Dicerna's current views with respect to future events, and Dicerna does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Dicerna™, GalXC™ and PHYOX™ are trademarks of Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

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