Ocular Therapeutix Names Pravin U. Dugel, MD, President and CEO
Ocular Therapeutix announced that Executive Chairman, Pravin U. Dugel, MD, is assuming the roles of President and Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Dugel, who will continue to serve as a director and as Executive Chairman of Ocular, is replacing Antony Mattessich, who is stepping down from his position.
“On behalf of the Board of Directors and employees of Ocular, I want to wholeheartedly express Ocular’s utmost gratitude for Antony's many years of exceptional service and unwavering commitment to the company. His passion and dedication has guided Ocular for years, enabling the formation of a high-quality organization and the development of our innovative retinal disease pipeline, led by Axpaxli,” Dr. Dugel said in a company news release. “I believe Axpaxli has the potential to dramatically change the treatment paradigm for retinal disease and look forward to advancing the development of this innovative product candidate in 2024 and beyond.”
In February, Ocular Therapeutix announced a series of leadership changes in which Dr. Dugel was named Executive Chairman. The company also added Jeffrey S. Heier, MD; Peter K. Kaiser, MD; and Sanjay Nayak, MBBS, PhD, to the Ocular management team as Chief Scientific Officer, Medical Director, and Chief Strategy Officer, respectively. The company also announced that Charles Warden transitioned from Chairman of the Board to Lead Independent Director.
Dr. Dugel most recently served as President of Iveric Bio. He also served as Managing Partner, Retinal Consultants of Arizona and the Retinal Research Institute; Clinical Professor, USC Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California; and Founding Member, Spectra Eye Institute in Sun City, Arizona.
Mr. Mattessich joined Ocular as CEO in August 2017. Priviously, he was Managing Director of Mundipharma International.
“The journey with Ocular Therapeutix over the last 7-plus years has been the highlight of my career. Working with the team to emerge from the aftermath of the second CRL with Dextenza, through approval and launch, has been amazing. Now, with Axpaxli enrolling in the phase 3 program with a Special Protocol Assessment, the company is set to advance to the next stage,” said Mr. Mattessich. “As Ocular moves forward to transform into a leading retina care company, I am grateful to the employees, advisors, investors and collaborators who have supported the company’s development and progress. I ‘pass the baton’ to Pravin with enthusiasm and optimism for all that lies ahead. The company could not be in better hands.”