Kevin Tang has been named chief executive officer of Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, the company announced on Mar. 23. Tang, who has served as chair of the board since 2024, replaces Peter Greenleaf and is bringing several associates from his investment group into key roles within the company.
The changes mark a significant shift in leadership for Aurinia Pharmaceuticals as it focuses on expanding sales of its lupus nephritis treatment Lupkynis and advancing its drug pipeline. The restructuring follows increased involvement by Tang Capital Management, which grew its stake in Aurinia from 5.1% in September 2024 to 9.2% by late last month.
Ryan Cole will serve as chief operating officer, Michael Hearne joins as chief financial officer, and Thomas Wei becomes chief scientific officer. All three have worked at Tang Capital for several years prior to joining Aurinia's executive team. Stew Kroll remains as chief development officer; he also previously worked at Tang Capital before joining Aurinia last year.
Several outgoing executives are departing with this transition, including former CEO Greenleaf, Chief Operating Officer Matthew Donley, Chief Medical Officer Gregory Keenan, and Chief Financial Officer Joseph Miller—all of whom joined between 2019 and 2023. Stephen Robertson will continue his role as general counsel after joining the company in 2020.
The new leadership comes amid ongoing efforts to grow Lupkynis sales following public criticism from George Tidmarsh regarding the drug’s safety and efficacy last fall—a controversy that led to regulatory complaints and legal action involving both Tidmarsh and Kevin Tang.
Aurinia is also working to position its investigational drug aritinercept against competitors Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ povetacicept and Vera Therapeutics’ atacicept in the autoimmune disease market. The company recently projected annual sales between $305 million and $315 million for this year.
