BEDFORD, Mass., July 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 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 appointment of Adrienne L. Graves, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors.

A visual scientist by training and a global industry leader in ophthalmology, Dr. Graves brings extensive experience to her role. As the former CEO of Santen Inc., the US subsidiary of a 130-year-old Japanese pharmaceutical company, she successfully established a strong global presence, bringing multiple ophthalmic products through development to approval and commercialization and leading global teams through successful acquisitions and partnerships.

“Dr. Graves is a recognized and respected leader in ophthalmology with a proven track record of leading global teams at vision companies, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our team,” said Antony Mattessich, President and CEO, Ocular Therapeutix. “We look forward to benefitting from her insights and expertise as we continue to drive the company’s growth and move our pipeline forward.”  

At Santen, Dr. Graves served as Sr. VP of Worldwide Clinical Development (US, Europe, and Japan) for seven years and subsequently as CEO for eight years. Prior to Santen, she spent 9 years at Alcon, joining as Senior Scientist to establish Alcon’s first Retinal Electrophysiology Laboratory. She progressed through roles of increasing responsibility in research and development, including directing clinical development in multiple therapeutic areas and serving as Director of International Ophthalmology.

Dr. Graves currently serves as a director on the boards of Greenbrook TMS Inc.; Qlaris Bio, Inc.; Nicox S.A.; NVasc, Inc.; Surface Ophthalmics, Inc.; and Opus Genetics, Inc. She previously served as Chairman of the Board of IVERIC bio, Inc. and held board positions at TherOptix, Inc.; Encore Vision, Inc.; Envisia Therapeutics, Inc.; Oxurion NV; TearLab Corporation (now Trukera Medical); Aerpio Therapeutics, Inc.; and Akorn, Inc.

She serves on the Foundation Boards of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Foundation, Glaucoma Research Foundation, American Academy of Ophthalmology Foundation (Emeritus), Retina Global, Himalayan Cataract Project, Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) and the RD (Retinal Degeneration) Fund. Dr. Graves also co-founded Glaucoma 360 and OWL (Ophthalmic World Leaders, formerly Ophthalmic Women Leaders).

Dr. Graves received an A.B. with Honors in Psychology from Brown University, a Ph.D. in Psychobiology from the University of Michigan, and she completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Visual Neuroscience at the University of Paris. She is a Visionary Innovation Mentor at the Ophthalmic Innovation Program at Stanford University.

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 an FDA-approved corticosteroid for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery and ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. Ocular Therapeutix’s earlier stage development assets include: OTX-TKI (axitinib intravitreal implant), currently in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of wet AMD and diabetic retinopathy; OTX-TIC (travoprost intracameral implant), currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension; and OTX-CSI (cyclosporine intracanalicular insert) for the chronic treatment of dry eye disease and OTX-DED (dexamethasone intracanalicular insert) for the short-term treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease, both of which have completed Phase 2 clinical trials.

Forward Looking Statements

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans, and prospects for the Company, including the commercialization of DEXTENZA^® or any of the Company’s products or product candidates; the development and regulatory status of the Company’s product candidates; the potential utility of any of the Company’s product candidates; the sufficiency of the Company’s cash resources; and other statements containing the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend", "goal," "may", "might," "plan," "predict," "project," "target," "potential," "will," "would," "could," "should," "continue," and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors. Such forward-looking statements involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s preclinical and clinical development programs, future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the timing and costs involved in commercializing DEXTENZA or any product or product candidate that receives regulatory approval, including the conduct of post-approval studies, the ability to retain regulatory approval of DEXTENZA or any product or product candidate that receives regulatory approval, the ability to maintain and the sufficiency of product, procedure and any other reimbursement codes for DEXTENZA, the initiation, timing, conduct and outcomes of clinical trials, availability of data from clinical trials and expectations for regulatory submissions and approvals, the Company’s scientific approach and general development progress, the sufficiency of cash resources, the Company’s existing indebtedness, the ability of the Company’s creditors to accelerate the maturity of such indebtedness upon the occurrence of certain events of default, the Company’s ability to enter into strategic alliances or generate additional funding on a timely basis, on favorable terms, or at all, the Company’s ability to recruit and retain key personnel, and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section contained in the Company’s quarterly and annual reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of the date of this press release. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company’s views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Investors
Ocular Therapeutix
Donald Notman
Chief Financial Officer
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or
ICR Westwicke
Chris Brinzey, 339-970-2843
Managing Director
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Media
ICR Westwicke
Ben Shannon, 443-213-0495
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