Kala Bio Announces Chief Executive Officer Transition
Kala Bio announced the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Mark Iwicki, and the appointment of Todd Bazemore, Kala's President and Chief Operating Officer, as interim CEO, effective immediately. Mr. Iwicki will continue to serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of Kala following the transition. Mr. Bazemore has served as Kala's President since December 2021 and Chief Operating Officer since November 2017.
“I am proud of the work we have done at Kala utilizing our MSC-S platform, and I am very excited about the potential of our lead product candidate, KPI-012 for the treatment of PCED," Mr. Iwicki said in a company news release. "As we approach our topline data from the ongoing phase 2b clinical trial of KPI-012 in the second quarter of 2025, it is the right time to transition leadership to Todd, who I have had the privilege of working closely with for the past 7 years. I look forward to continuing to partner with him as Chair of the Board and supporting our mission of delivering innovative therapies for rare and severe diseases of the eye.”
“It is a privilege to continue to build on the strong foundation that Mark and the rest of our team established at Kala. As a leader in the emerging field of mesenchymal stem cell secretomes, we are committed to developing and delivering therapies with the ultimate goal of preserving vision and changing lives,” said Mr. Bazemore. “I look forward to working closely with the cross-functional team towards the completion of the CHASE trial of KPI-012 in PCED and advancing this important program for patients and physicians.”
Mr. Bazemore brings more than 30 years of experience spanning from ultra-rare orphan diseases to large primary care conditions. Prior to joining Kala, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Santhera Pharmaceuticals (USA), Inc. responsible for U.S. operations from September 2016 to November 2017. Before that, between April 2014 and January 2016, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Dyax Corp. Prior to joining Dyax, he was at Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.