BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. (NASDAQ:OCUL), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the formulation, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye, today announced the promotion of Michael Goldstein, MD, MBA, to the newly created position of President, Ophthalmology. Dr. Goldstein will continue to report to Antony Mattessich, Ocular’s President and Chief Executive Officer. With this promotion, Dr. Goldstein will be responsible for clinical operations and in that capacity will maintain his role as Chief Medical Officer. He will also be responsible for commercial operations in alignment with the overall Company strategy. The Company also announced the appointment of Rabia Gurses Ozden, MD, as Senior Vice President (SVP), Clinical Development. As SVP, Clinical Development, Dr. Ozden is responsible for leading the clinical development of Ocular Therapeutix’s current and growing pipeline of indications focusing on the front and back of the eye. The strategic appointments are expected to play a key role in supporting Ocular’s future growth and reflect Ocular’s commitment to developing innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye.
“2020 has been a year of exciting growth for Ocular Therapeutix with the commercial success of DEXTENZA and with the development of our leading ophthalmology pipeline,” said Antony Mattessich, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ocular Therapeutix. "Recognizing the great opportunity to build upon our progress, I am thrilled to be expanding the organization with the promotion of Mike and with the addition of Rabia to our clinical team. Mike has played a key role in our recent successes, and I believe his strong leadership will continue to drive further success and future growth.”
“I am really excited about the work Ocular Therapeutix is doing in ophthalmology and our potential. We aim to keep developing exciting products to fulfill unmet needs in ophthalmology to benefit patients and to continue developing a best-in-class commercial team to deliver those products to market,” said Michael Goldstein, Chief Medical Officer and President, Ophthalmology. “I would also like to welcome Rabia to the Ocular team. We are fortunate to attract a talent like Rabia who brings to Ocular a proven track record and broad therapeutic expertise in ophthalmology with subspecialty training in glaucoma.”
Dr. Ozden has over 15 years of experience in clinical development, clinical operations, and pharmacovigilance in pharmaceutical and medical device programs. Dr. Ozden has had numerous interactions with regulatory agencies for clinical support in product filings, clinical endpoint developments and label negotiation. Prior to joining Ocular, Dr. Ozden most recently served as the Chief Development Officer at Akouos, Inc. Previously, Dr. Ozden served as Chief Medical Officer of Nightstar Therapeutics plc, a gene therapy company focused on rare inherited retinal diseases, which was acquired by Biogen. She has held leadership positions at Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation and GlaxoSmithKline, and earlier in her career held clinical development and operations roles at Quark Pharmaceuticals, Bausch & Lomb Pharmaceuticals and Carl Zeiss Meditec AG. Dr. Ozden received her M.D. from Hacettepe University School of Medicine, completed her ophthalmology residency at Ankara University School of Medicine, and her clinical fellowship in Glaucoma at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary.
About Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the formulation, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using its proprietary bioresorbable hydrogel-based formulation technology. Ocular Therapeutix’s first commercial drug product, DEXTENZA, is FDA-approved for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery. Ocular Therapeutix has also submitted a Supplemental NDA for DEXTENZA to include the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis as an additional approved indication. Ocular Therapeutix’s earlier stage development assets currently in Phase 1 clinical trials include OTX-TIC (travoprost intracameral implant) for the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension and OTX-TKI (axitinib intravitreal implant) for the treatment of wet AMD and other retinal diseases. Ocular Therapeutix is currently evaluating OTX-CSI (cyclosporine intracanalicular insert) for the chronic treatment of dry eye disease in a Phase 2 clinical trial. Also, Ocular Therapeutix is currently developing OTX-DED (dexamethasone intracanalicular insert) for the short-term treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease and, in collaboration with Regeneron, OTX-AFS (aflibercept suprachoroidal injection) as an extended-delivery formulation of aflibercept for the treatment of retinal diseases. Ocular Therapeutix's first product, ReSure® Sealant, is an FDA-approved device to seal corneal incisions following cataract surgery.
