Rani Therapeutics Appoints Jesper Høiland as Head of Strategy to Advance Corporate and Pipeline Prioritization
SAN JOSE, Calif., March 25, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rani Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. ("Rani Therapeutics" or "Rani") (NASDAQ:RANI), a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on the oral delivery of biologics and drugs, today announced the appointment of Jesper Høiland as Head of Strategy. Mr. Høiland has served as a strategic adviser to the company since 2023 and brings more than 30 years of global pharmaceutical leadership experience, including extensive expertise in obesity and metabolic disease.
"Jesper is a highly respected leader with a rare combination of strategic insight and deep commercial experience, and we are thrilled to welcome him as Head of Strategy," said Talat Imran, Chief Executive Officer of Rani. "As we continue to expand our pipeline and evaluate new opportunities for the RaniPill® platform, Jesper will play a critical role in helping us prioritize the most impactful programs and align our strategy with areas of greatest clinical and market potential. His experience across global organizations and therapeutic areas, along with his strong industry relationships, will be invaluable as we advance our partnering strategy and continue to build a differentiated pipeline."
In this newly created adviser role, Mr. Høiland will be responsible for shaping Rani's corporate and pipeline strategy, including prioritization of internal programs, evaluation of new therapeutic opportunities, and support of the company's partnering and business development efforts. He will work closely with the executive team to align development decisions with long-term strategic and market considerations.
Mr. Høiland brings more than three decades of experience in global pharmaceutical leadership, with a proven track record of shaping strategy, building organizations, and guiding the successful development and commercialization of innovative therapies. Most recently, he served as Global Commercial Officer at Ascendis Pharma, where he oversaw worldwide commercial strategy across established and emerging markets. Prior to Ascendis, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Radius Health. Earlier in his career, he served as President and Executive Vice President of Novo Nordisk's U.S. operations, where he led key launches and commercial strategy across the company's metabolic portfolio.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Høiland has contributed to the development and commercialization of multiple leading therapies, including Novo Nordisk's insulin analog portfolio and Tresiba®, as well as Tymlos® and Skytrofa®, providing him with deep insight into the full lifecycle of innovative medicines from development through market adoption.
"What attracted me to Rani is the strength of its platform and the breadth of opportunity it creates across multiple therapeutic areas," said Mr. Høiland. "The ability to deliver biologics orally has the potential to reshape treatment paradigms, and I believe Rani is uniquely positioned to capitalize on that opportunity. In particular, I was extremely impressed by the preclinical semaglutide and GLP-1/GLP-2 data Rani announced last year and how well Rani is positioned in the obesity space. My focus will be on helping the company prioritize the right programs, identifying the most valuable opportunities for the platform, and supporting strategic partnerships that can bring these therapies to patients globally. I look forward to working with the team as Rani continues to advance its pipeline and execute on its long-term strategy."
About Rani Therapeutics
Rani Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company focused on advancing technologies to enable the development of orally administered biologics and drugs. Rani has developed the RaniPill® capsule, a novel, proprietary and patented platform technology, intended to replace subcutaneous injection or intravenous infusion of biologics and drugs with oral dosing. Rani has successfully conducted several preclinical and clinical studies to evaluate safety, tolerability and bioavailability using RaniPill® capsule technology.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, Rani's ability to advance its clinical pipeline, the potential for the RaniPill® platform, the identification and prioritization of pipeline opportunities, the potential for future partnerships, and the expected benefits of oral biologic therapies. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Words such as "potential," "will," "believe," "look forward" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Rani's current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with Rani's business and those described in Rani's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Rani's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, and subsequent filings and reports by Rani. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Rani undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date on which they were made, except as required by law.
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