Oriva Therapeutics appoints Dr Agnès Arbat as CEO to advance clinical-stage women’s health pipeline - Asabys Partners

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• Oriva is developing innovative medicines for chronic gynaecological diseases and is backed by pre-seed financing from Asabys Partners’ Sabadell Asabys II fund
• Dr Arbat brings over 25 years’ pharma industry experience, including roles in women’s health at Bayer and Organon
• Oriva’s lead asset, ORV-362 – a non-hormonal, disease-modifying, first-in-class therapy for endometriosis – is already in Phase I clinical trials

Oriva Therapeutics (“Oriva”), a women’s health company developing first-in-class and best-in-class approaches to treat chronic, prevalent conditions affecting women, today announces the appointment of seasoned biotech entrepreneur Dr Agnès Arbat as Chief Executive Officer.

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

She was previously Co-founder and CEO of Oxolife, a specialist biotech focused on female fertility, and before that led the Women’s Health and Cardiovascular medical team at Bayer and worked at Organon in Medical Affairs for Women’s Health.

Dr Arbat will also serve as Oriva’s Chief Medical Officer. She joins the highly-experienced senior leadership team of biochemist Cristina Balagué, PhD (Chief Scientific Officer); pharmaceutical scientist Rosa Torres Ferraz, PhD (Head of Medical Affairs & Regulatory); 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 under the supervision of Roger Juanpere (Finance Manager).

Dr Agnès Arbat, Chief Executive Officer, Oriva Therapeutics, said: “Oriva’s assets have the potential to deliver best-in-class treatments for women worldwide suffering from common, painful and debilitating gynaecological conditions – thus addressing clear and significant unmet medical needs. As CEO and CMO, I look forward to working with the Company’s expert senior leadership team to progress its fantastic programmes through development. With clinical activity already underway and strong backing from Asabys Partners, we are well positioned to execute and deliver meaningful progress for patients.”

Clara Campàs, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Asabys Partners, said: “Agnès’ deep scientific expertise in women’s health and her strong track record of strategic leadership makes her exceptionally well qualified to lead Oriva as it advances its programmes and accelerates through its next phase of growth.” 

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

Endometrioisis – the growth of tissue similar to the lining of the uterus in other parts of the body, usually within the pelvis – is a painful condition that can negatively affect fertility. Despite its prevalence and significant impact on women, only limited treatment options are currently available. None can address the underlying pathology of endometriosis while preserving fertility.

ORV-362 has been designed as a disease-modifying treatment that does not interfere with conception. It has already demonstrated a favourable safety profile in early-stage clinical trials. The programme advanced into Phase I clinical development in healthy women in January 2026, and initial clinical readouts are expected by the end of this year.

Oriva’s second programme, ORV-499, is focused on the treatment of uterine fibroids, the most common type of benign gynaecological tumour. ORV-499 is expected to enter Phase I clinical trials in Q1 2027. Both assets target well-validated therapeutic 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 Autonomous University of Barcelona with a specialty in Clinical Pharmacology and completed the General Management Programme at IESE Business School. She is a guest professor and mentor for the Master’s in Pharmaceutical Industry and Biotechnology programme at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC). Last year, she was awarded the EU Women Innovators Prize at the European Innovation Council (EIC) Summit, the Catalonia Health Innovation Award, and the European Investment Bank Group prize for Advancing Innovation in Women’s Health.