Soleno Therapeutics Announces the Passing of Board Member William G. Harris
Rhea-AI Summary
Soleno Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SLNO) announced the passing of William G. “Bill” Harris on Dec. 3, 2025. Mr. Harris served on Soleno’s Board since June 2014 and was Chairman of the Audit Committee. The company praised his decades of biopharmaceutical finance experience and extended condolences to his family. Long-serving director Andrew Sinclair is expected to assume the Audit Committee chair and qualifies as an audit committee financial expert under SEC and Nasdaq rules.
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News Market Reaction – SLNO
On the day this news was published, SLNO gained 3.86%, reflecting a moderate positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
Peers showed mixed moves: IMVT +5.75%, SRRK +3.86%, VKTX +1.44%, MLYS roughly flat, RARE -0.60%. This pattern does not point to a unified sector move around this management news.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 03 | Board member passing | Neutral | +3.9% | Announcement of audit chair’s passing and expected succession on committee. |
| Nov 24 | Conference participation | Neutral | +1.8% | Company presenting at Piper Sandler healthcare conference with webcast access. |
| Nov 11 | Share repurchase | Positive | +5.2% | Entry into <b>$100M</b> accelerated share repurchase after achieving profitability. |
| Nov 04 | Earnings and launch | Positive | -2.7% | First profitable quarter with strong VYKAT XR launch metrics and cash position. |
| Oct 28 | Investor conferences | Neutral | +1.7% | Planned participation in three November investor conferences with webcasts. |
Recent news has generally seen positive price reactions, with only the earnings report showing a negative move despite strong fundamentals.
Over the last few months, Soleno reported its first profitable quarter as a commercial company, with Q3 2025 product revenue of $66.0M and net income of $26.0M, and strengthened liquidity per the Nov 4, 2025 10-Q. It followed with a $100M accelerated share repurchase and continued active conference participation. Governance developments included adding audit-focused director Mark W. Hahn and, on Dec 3, 2025, announcing the passing of long-serving audit chair William G. Harris while signaling continuity by expecting Andrew Sinclair to assume the role.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement focused on the passing of long-serving director and audit chair William G. Harris and highlighted his extensive biopharmaceutical finance background. Soleno also indicated continuity by expecting Andrew Sinclair, described as an “audit committee financial expert,” to assume the audit chair role. In the context of recent profitability, share repurchases, and an active launch of VYKAT XR, investors may watch how the board’s financial and audit expertise continues to support the company’s commercial and capital allocation strategies.
Key Terms
audit committee financial
audit committee financial expert regulatory
securities and exchange commission regulatory
nasdaq stock market regulatory
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Soleno Therapeutics, Inc. (Soleno) (NASDAQ: SLNO), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases, today regrets to announce the passing of William G. “Bill” Harris, who served as a valued member of Soleno’s Board of Directors since June 2014. Mr. Harris also served as Chairman of the Audit Committee.
“I have known Bill for many years, and always viewed him as a person of integrity, who exhibited pragmatism and a genuine desire to help others,” said Dr. Anish Bhatnagar, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Soleno Therapeutics. “His guidance and insights, culled from decades of experience as a senior biopharmaceutical finance executive, served us extremely well as we navigated through periods that were both challenging and rewarding. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the entire Soleno family, we extend our deepest condolences to Bill’s family.”
Mr. Harris’ career in the biopharmaceutical industry began in the early 1990s with several positions at Gilead Sciences, ultimately becoming Director of Finance. He later held several roles of increasing responsibility at Coulter Pharmaceutical, Inc., a biotechnology company engaged in the development of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, the most recent of which was Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Coulter was acquired by Corixa Corp., a developer of immunotherapeutic products, in 2000. He went on to become Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer of Xenoport, Inc., which was acquired by Arbor Pharmaceuticals, LLC, a specialty pharmaceutical company, in 2016.
Soleno expects that long-serving Board and Audit Committee member Andrew Sinclair will take over the position of Chair of the Audit Committee. Dr. Sinclair qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” pursuant to the definition adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the listing rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market.
About Soleno Therapeutics, Inc.
Soleno is focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases. The company’s first commercial product, VYKAT™ XR (diazoxide choline) extended-release tablets, formerly known as DCCR, is a once-daily oral treatment for hyperphagia in adults and children 4 years of age and older with Prader-Willi syndrome and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 26, 2025. For more information, please visit www.soleno.life.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this press release are forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "plan," "anticipate," "could," "intend," "target," "project," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described in the company's prior press releases and in the periodic reports it files with the SEC. The events and circumstances reflected in the company's forward-looking statements may not be achieved or occur and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, the company does not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
Corporate Contact:
Brian Ritchie
LifeSci Advisors, LLC
212-915-2578
Media Contact:
media@soleno.life
FAQ
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