Jay S. Duker, MD, Named President and CEO of Eyepoint Pharmaceuticals
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals announced the appointment of Jay S. Duker, MD, as President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Duker has transitioned from his most recent role as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and President. Dr. Duker has also been appointed to the Board of Directors of the company, effective immediately. Nancy S. Lurker has transitioned to the role of Executive Vice Chair of the Board of Directors from the position of CEO.
“Serving as CEO of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals these past 7 years has been an exciting journey, and I am immensely proud of what our team has accomplished to create a brighter future for patients at risk of losing their sight. It has been a privilege to lead the growth of EyePoint into a best-in-class leader in sustained ocular drug delivery, advancing first-in-class therapeutics,” Ms. Lurker said in a company news release. “We have accomplished a tremendous amount of value enhancing catalysts over the last several years, including the advancement of EYPT-1901 into two oversubscribed phase 2 trials, revenue growth for Yutiq culminating in a successful sale of commercial rights to Yutiq, and the significant strengthening of our balance sheet. With the transformation of EyePoint into a pure play drug development company, a compelling clinical pipeline, and recent financial and clinical achievements that put EyePoint in a position of strength, this is the right time to move into a new role. I have never been more excited about our potential and am deeply confident in the company’s future under Jay’s leadership.”
Eyepoint recently reported positive data for its phase 1 DAVIO trial in wet AMD, and initiated two Phase 2 trials for EYP-1901— the Phase 2 DAVIO2 trial in wet AMD and PAVIA trial in NPDR.
“I am honored to become Chief Executive Officer of EyePoint at this exciting juncture as we advance our potentially transformational treatment options for a variety of eye diseases and focus on expanding our pipeline by leveraging the sustained delivery capability of our Durasert E technology. As a physician dedicated to improving outcomes in retinal disease, I am incredibly passionate about EyePoint’s mission of bringing innovative therapies to patients at risk of losing their sight,” Dr. Duker said. “I look forward to continuing to work with our top tier executive team and world-class board of directors to build on our recent achievements. With our strong balance sheet, the anticipated readouts of our two phase 2 trials of EYPT-1901 in wet AMD and NPDR during the next 9 months and the planned initiation of a third phase 2 trial in DME in the first quarter of 2024, EyePoint is well-positioned to grow as a leader in sustained ocular drug delivery and bring first-in-class therapeutics to patients.”