UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
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Item 5.02. Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On November 24, 2025, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Cadrenal Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed Lee Scott Golden, M.D. (“Dr. Golden”), to serve as a Class II director of the Company to hold office until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders, at which time his term of office shall expire and a Class II director shall be elected for a full term of three years, or until his re-election or earlier resignation or removal. Dr. Golden was also appointed to serve on the Board’s Science and Technology Committee.
Dr. Golden currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (“PTC”), positions he has held since April 2023. Dr. Golden previously served as Chief Medical Officer of PTC from January 2022 to April 2023 and as its Senior Vice President, Head of Global Clinical Development from May 2020 to January 2022. Before joining PTC, Dr. Golden served as the Chief Medical Officer at Espero BioPharma, Inc.. This former privately held development-stage cardiovascular pharmaceutical company focused on the development of drugs for unmet needs in thrombosis and cardiac rhythm control, from October 2018 to May 2020, and as Chief Medical Officer of Gemphire Therapeutics, Inc., a former publicly-traded clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that was developing and commercializing therapies for cardiometabolic disorders, where he oversaw clinical development and regulatory activities, from October 2016 to September 2018. Dr. Golden has also served on the board of directors of Coagulation Sciences LLC, a privately held medical device company specializing in blood transfusion devices, since December 2012. Dr. Golden has more than 25 years of industry experience, with increasing responsibilities, managing global, cross-functional teams responsible for creating and deploying strategic and clinical development plans. He has extensive experience across multiple therapeutic areas and with orphan diseases. Previous companies include both large pharmaceutical companies and small biotech companies, such as Pfizer, Actelion, Elan, Eisai, and Mesoblast.
Dr. Golden received a B.S. from the University of Michigan and an M.D. from New York University School of Medicine, where he also completed his Internal Medicine residency. He then completed Fellowships in Cardiology at the University of Miami and Interventional Cardiology at George Washington University Hospital, where he also served as an adjunct instructor.
Dr. Golden, age 58, will receive the standard compensation available to the Company’s current non-employee directors, which for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, is an annual fee of $35,000 for serving on the Board as well as equity awards from time to time. Dr. Golden also entered into a standard indemnification agreement with the Company, the form of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1.
There are no family relationships between Dr. Golden and any of the Company’s directors or executive officers, nor does Dr. Golden have any direct or indirect material interest in any transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K. Other than as described above, there were no arrangements or understandings by which Dr. Golden was appointed as a member of the Board.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On December 1, 2025, the Company issued a press release announcing the appointment of Dr. Golden to the Board. Such press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. | Description | |
| 10.1 | Form of Indemnification Agreement (Incorporated by reference as Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K (001-41596) filed with the SEC on January 25, 2023) | |
| 99.1 | Press Release of Cadrenal Therapeutics, Inc. dated December 1, 2025 | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document) |
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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.
| Dated: December 1, 2025 | CADRENAL THERAPEUTICS, INC. | |
| By: | /s/ Quang X. Pham | |
| Name: | Quang X. Pham | |
| Title: | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | |
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Exhibit 99.1
Cadrenal Therapeutics Appoints Dr. Lee Golden to Board of Directors
PONTE VEDRA, Fla., December 1, 2025 – Cadrenal Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CVKD), a biopharmaceutical company developing transformative therapeutics to overcome current gaps in anticoagulation therapy, today announced the appointment of Lee Scott Golden, M.D., to its Board of Directors, effective immediately. Dr. Golden will serve as an independent director.
Dr. Golden currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTCT), where he leads global clinical development across a broad rare disease pipeline. Before joining PTC, Dr. Golden served as the Chief Medical Officer at Espero BioPharma, Inc., a development-stage cardiovascular pharmaceutical company focused on developing drugs for unmet needs in thrombosis and cardiac rhythm control, and as Chief Medical Officer at Gemphire Therapeutics, Inc. He also serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board for Coagulation Sciences LLC. Previously, Dr. Golden held senior roles at Pfizer, Actelion, Eisai, Mesoblast, and others, with a long-standing focus on cardiovascular and hematologic drug development.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Golden to our Board,” said Quang X. Pham, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cadrenal Therapeutics. “Lee’s deep experience in late-stage clinical development, particularly in cardiovascular medicine and anticoagulation, is highly aligned with our mission to deliver safer, more predictable anticoagulant options for patients with significant unmet needs. His track record in guiding therapies through clinical development and regulatory pathways will be invaluable as we continue to advance tecarfarin and our broader pipeline.”
“Cadrenal Therapeutics is working in an area of high clinical importance, where better anticoagulation options could meaningfully impact outcomes for patients with complex cardiovascular conditions,” said Dr. Golden. “I look forward to working with the Board and the leadership team to help guide the Company’s strategy and clinical programs as we seek to bring differentiated therapies to patients and create value for shareholders.”
Dr. Golden has more than 25 years of industry experience, with increasing responsibilities, managing global, cross-functional teams responsible for creating and deploying strategic and clinical development plans. He has extensive experience across multiple therapeutic areas and with orphan diseases. Dr. Golden received a B.S. from the University of Michigan and an MD from New York University School of Medicine, where he also completed his Internal Medicine residency. He then completed Fellowships in Cardiology at the University of Miami and Interventional Cardiology at George Washington University Hospital, where he also served as an adjunct instructor.
About Cadrenal Therapeutics, Inc.
Cadrenal Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company with a mission to develop novel and differentiated biopharmaceutical products that bridge critical gaps in current acute and chronic anticoagulant therapy. We bridge these gaps by developing novel and differentiated anticoagulants, or blood thinners, designed to provide greater predictability, increased stability, more precise control, and fewer bleeding complications. We currently have two clinical-stage assets: tecarfarin, an oral vitamin K antagonist (VKA) for chronic use, and frunexian, a parenteral small-molecule Factor XIa antagonist for use in acute hospital settings. By targeting underserved patient populations and advancing therapies designed for both chronic and acute use, we aim to reshape standards of care in anticoagulation. For more information, visit https://www.cadrenal.com/ and connect with the Company on LinkedIn.
Safe Harbor
Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans, and prospects, as well as any other statements regarding matters that are not historical facts, may constitute “forward-looking statements.” The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potentially,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These statements include statements regarding developing transformative therapeutics to overcome current gaps in anticoagulation therapy, the expected contribution of Dr. Golden and continuing to advance tecarfarin and the Company’s broader pipeline. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the ability to develop transformative therapeutics to overcome current gaps in anticoagulation therapy, Dr. Golden’s ability to help guide the Company’s strategy and clinical programs, the ability to successfully complete clinical trials on time and achieve desired results and benefits as expected and the other risk factors described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and the Company’s subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including subsequent periodic reports on Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and, except as required by federal securities laws, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
For more information, please contact:
Lytham Partners, LLC
Robert Blum, Managing Partner
602-889-9700