Inhibikase appoints Scott Wasserman to its board

The appointment includes an initial grant of non-qualified options to purchase up to 310,000 common shares, plus cash compensation under the director policy.

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. (IKT) appointed Scott Wasserman as a Class III director, effective October 19, 2026, following Dennis Berman’s resignation from the board that day. Berman also resigned as chair of the Compensation Committee and as a member of the Audit Committee; he advised that his decision was not the result of a disagreement with the company or its management about operations, policies or practices.

Wasserman will serve until the 2029 annual meeting of stockholders or earlier death, resignation or removal, and will join the Compensation Committee. The board determined he is independent under applicable Nasdaq listing standards and SEC rules. Inhibikase’s Phase 3 IMPROVE-PAH study of IKT-001 is actively enrolling at approximately 180 sites around the world.

Filing Explained

Beyond the board changes already covered, Inhibikase says Wasserman will receive options to buy up to 310,000 common shares; the options are not shares issued now, but exercise could add shares and dilute existing holders.

8-K Event Classification

3 items: 5.02, 7.01, 9.01

3 items

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers Governance

Key personnel changes including departures, elections, or appointments of directors and executive officers.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure Disclosure

Material non-public information disclosed under Regulation Fair Disclosure, often investor presentations or guidance.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits Exhibits

Financial statements, pro forma financial information, or exhibit attachments filed with this report.

Key Figures

Director option grant: Up to 310,000 shares Board term: 2029 IMPROVE-PAH study sites: Approximately 180 sites

3 metrics

Director option grant Up to 310,000 shares Initial non-qualified stock option grant to purchase common stock

Board term 2029 Annual meeting of stockholders, unless earlier death, resignation or removal

IMPROVE-PAH study sites Approximately 180 sites Phase 3 study sites around the world

Key Terms

non-qualified stock options, Class III director, Phase 3, prodrug, +1 more

5 terms

non-qualified stock options financial

"grant of non-qualified stock options to purchase up to 310,000 shares"

Non-qualified stock options are a type of employee benefit that gives individuals the right to buy company shares at a set price, usually lower than the market value, within a certain period. Unlike other options that may have special tax advantages, these options are taxed as income when exercised, which can affect how much money the employee or investor ultimately gains. They are important because they can influence company compensation strategies and impact the financial outcomes for employees and investors.

Class III director regulatory

"appointed Scott Wasserman to serve as a Class III director"

A Class III director is a board member placed in one of the numbered groups used by companies with a staggered (or “classified”) board; that director’s seat typically comes up for election in the third year of a three-year rotation. For investors this matters because staggered terms create continuity but also make it harder to replace the whole board quickly, affecting shareholder influence, takeover dynamics and how fast new strategy or accountability can be implemented — like replacing only some players on a sports team each season instead of the whole roster at once.

Phase 3 medical

"global Phase 3 IMPROVE-PAH study of IKT-001"

Phase 3 is the late-stage clinical testing step for a new drug or medical treatment, where the product is given to large groups of patients to confirm effectiveness, monitor side effects, and compare it to standard care. Successful Phase 3 results are often the final scientific hurdle before regulators decide on approval and market launch—like passing a final exam before graduation—and can sharply change a company's valuation and future revenue prospects.

prodrug medical

"IKT-001, a prodrug of imatinib mesylate"

A prodrug is an inactive or less-active compound that is designed to be converted into an active drug inside the body, like a packaged meal that needs heating before it's ready to eat. For investors, prodrugs matter because this design can improve how a medicine is absorbed, reduce side effects, extend patent protection, or enable new dosing forms — all factors that can affect a drug's regulatory path, marketability, and commercial value.

pulmonary vascular resistance medical

"measuring Pulmonary Vascular Resistance and Outcome Variables"

Pulmonary vascular resistance is the opposition blood faces as it flows through the small arteries and vessels in the lungs — think of it like the narrowness or roughness inside a garden hose that makes water harder to push through. Investors care because higher resistance indicates strain on the heart and worse outcomes for patients, so drugs, devices or tests that reliably lower it can drive clinical approvals, reduce hospital stays and create meaningful commercial value.

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What compensation will Scott Wasserman receive from IKT?

Scott Wasserman will receive an initial new director grant of non-qualified stock options to purchase up to 310,000 shares of common stock, plus cash compensation for board and committee service under Inhibikase’s Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

Understanding 8-K Material Events →

See more from StockTitan in Google Search and AI answers. Adds StockTitan as a preferred source · opens Google

Add on Google Not now

Available on EDGAR 10/20/2026 - 04:57 PM EDT Accepted by SEC EDGAR 10/20/2026 - 04:57 PM EDT Learn about SEC filing dates

false 0001750149 0001750149 2026-10-19 2026-10-19

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): October 19, 2026

INHIBIKASE THERAPEUTICS, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Delaware		001-39676		26-3407249
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation)		(Commission File Number)		(IRS Employer Identification No.)

1000 N. West Street, Suite 1200 Wilmington, DE		19801
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code: (302) 295-3800

N/A

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.001 par value		IKT		The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

Resignation of Dennis Berman

On October 19, 2026, Dennis Berman resigned from the board of directors (the “Board”) of Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) and his position as Chair of the Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Compensation Committee”) and a member of the Audit Committee of the Board (the “Audit Committee”), effective as of October 19, 2026. Mr. Berman advised the Company that his decision to resign was not the result of any disagreement with the Company or its management on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies or practices.

Appointment of Scott Wasserman

On October 19, 2026, the Board, upon the recommendation of the Board’s Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, appointed Scott Wasserman to serve as a Class III director, to hold office until the Company’s annual meeting of stockholders in 2029 or until his earlier death, resignation or removal, effective as of October 19, 2026 (the “Appointment Date”). In addition, Dr. Wasserman will serve as a member of the Compensation Committee. The Board has determined that Dr. Wasserman is independent under the applicable listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In connection with his appointment to the Board, Dr. Wasserman will receive an initial new director grant of non-qualified stock options to purchase up to 310,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, and cash compensation for his Board and committee service, in accordance with the Company’s Non-Employee Director Compensation Policy, as such policy may be amended from time to time.

There are no arrangements or understandings between Dr. Wasserman and any other person pursuant to which he was selected to serve on the Board. There are no transactions in which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party and in which Dr. Wasserman has a material interest subject to disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. In addition, Dr. Wasserman entered into an indemnification agreement with the Company consistent with the form of indemnification agreement, a copy of which has been previously filed with the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

On October 20, 2026, the Company issued a press release titled “Inhibikase Therapeutics Appoints Scott Wasserman to Board of Directors.” A copy of the press release issued by the Company is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

The information in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1, is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. The information in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

99.1		Press Release issued by Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc., dated October 20, 2026, furnished herewith.
104		Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

Date: October 20, 2026				INHIBIKASE THERAPEUTICS, INC.
				By:		/s/ Mark Iwicki
						Mark Iwicki
						Chief Executive Officer

Exhibit 99.1

Inhibikase Therapeutics Appoints Scott Wasserman to Board of Directors

WILMINGTON, Del., October 20, 2026 — Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IKT) (“Inhibikase” or “Company”), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing IKT-001, a novel once-daily oral anti-proliferative for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (“PAH”), today announced the appointment of Scott M. Wasserman, MD, to the Company’s Board of Directors, effective October 19, 2026. Concurrent with Dr. Wasserman’s appointment, the Company also announced the resignation of Dennis Berman from the Company’s Board. “We thank Dennis for his many contributions to the Company during his years of service” said Amit Munshi, Chair of the Inhibikase Board of Directors.

Dr. Wasserman is currently the Chief Medical Officer of Kailera Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company developing GLP-1-based therapeutics for obesity and related conditions. Dr. Wasserman is a cardiologist with more than two decades of experience in clinical development and company leadership. At Amgen Inc., he served as Vice President, Global Development and Therapeutic Area Head for Bone, Cardiovascular, Metabolic and Neuroscience. He was Amgen’s first cardiologist and built the company’s cardiovascular and metabolic strategy, team and portfolio. He led the global development and approvals of Repatha (evolocumab), was instrumental in the development and U.S. FDA approval of Evenity (romosozumab) and oversaw the U.S. approval of Aimovig (erenumab).

“Scott has taken multiple programs from early development through global approval, and he has built clinical organizations at both large and emerging companies,” said Amit Munshi. “We look forward to benefiting from his expertise as we continue to advance our global Phase 3 IMPROVE-PAH study of IKT-001. We are pleased to welcome Scott to our Board.

“PAH is a progressive, life-threatening disease, and the pedigree of imatinib together with the recent preclinical and Phase 1 data for IKT-001 point to a very promising role for this asset in this difficult to treat condition,” said Dr. Wasserman. “This is an important time for Inhibikase, and I look forward to applying my experience in global clinical development and regulatory interactions as the Company advances IMPROVE-PAH.”

Scott brings deep expertise in clinical development to Inhibikase’s Board of Directors, spanning global development strategy, clinical trial design and execution, and global regulatory interactions. Most recently, Scott served as Venture Partner at Frazier Life Sciences, focusing on company creation. Prior to Frazier, Scott was the CEO and co-founder of Latigo Biotherapeutics, a venture-backed biotechnology company developing first and best-in-class, non-opioid pain medicines. Prior to his role with Latigo, Scott was Vice President, Global Development Therapeutic Area Head for Bone, Cardiovascular, Metabolic, and Neuroscience at Amgen. In addition to his role in the development of Repatha, Evenity, and Aimovig, Scott oversaw therapeutic development for a range of other conditions, including heart failure, anemia, obesity, and Alzheimer’s disease.

Prior to joining industry, Scott was on faculty at Stanford University in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine conducting NIH-sponsored research on endothelial gene expression and served as a non-interventional cardiologist at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Palo Alto, CA. Scott received his BS, Magna Cum Laude from Haverford College and his MD, Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Medical School. He completed his postgraduate training in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine at Stanford University and post-doctoral cardiovascular research at COR Therapeutics, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, and Stanford.

About Inhibikase (www.inhibikase.com)

Inhibikase Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: IKT) is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics to modify the course of cardiopulmonary diseases, namely, Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (“PAH”), in which aberrant signaling through type III receptor tyrosine kinases, including platelet derived growth factor receptors and a stem cell factor receptor, known as “c-Kit,” has been implicated. Our lead product candidate is IKT-001, a prodrug of imatinib mesylate (“imatinib”), for PAH which is an orphan indication. Imatinib was first approved in the United States in 2001 for various cancers and blood disorders and, following more than 20 years of clinical use, has a well-characterized safety profile with the first reported use of imatinib in PAH occurring in 2005. PAH is a progressive, life-threatening disease characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling and elevated pulmonary vascular resistance that affects approximately 50,000 Americans. Our single pivotal Phase 3 clinical study in PAH in approximately 180 sites around the world, named IMPROVE-PAH (IKT-001 for Measuring Pulmonary Vascular Resistance and Outcome Variables in a Phase 3 Evaluation of PAH), is actively enrolling patients.

Social Media Disclaimer

Investors and others should note that the Company announces material financial information to investors using its investor relations website, press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The Company intends to also use LinkedIn as a means of disclosing information about the Company, its services and other matters and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “anticipates,” “plans,” or similar expressions or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the potential of IKT-001, the advancement of the IMPROVE-PAH study, and the anticipated contribution of Dr. Wasserman to the Company’s board of directors. These forward-looking statements are based on Inhibikase’s current expectations and assumptions. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, which could cause Inhibikase’s actual results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include our ability to execute a Phase 3 study to evaluate IKT-001 as a treatment for PAH, as well as such other factors that are included in our periodic reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q that we file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statement in this release speaks only as of the date of this release. Inhibikase undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.

Contacts:

Investor Relations:

Michael Moyer

LifeSci Advisors

mmoyer@lifesciadvisors.com

Filing Exhibits & Attachments

4 documents

Press Releases

• EX-99.1 EX-99.1 10.9 KB

Other Documents

• EX-101 XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION SCHEMA 3.1 KB
• EX-101 XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION LABEL LINKBASE 17.6 KB
• EX-101 XBRL TAXONOMY EXTENSION PRESENTATION LINKBASE 11.0 KB