Opthea Appoints Julia A. Haller, MD, and Judith Robertson to Board of Directors
June 01 2021 - 7:11AM
Opthea Limited (ASX:OPT; Nasdaq:OPT), a clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to treat
highly prevalent and progressive retinal diseases, is pleased to
announce the appointments of Dr. Julia Haller and Ms. Judith
Robertson as independent Non-Executive Directors to its Board of
Directors, effective June 1, 2021. Dr. Haller is an internationally
recognized ophthalmologist and vitreoretinal surgeon, currently
serving as Ophthalmologist-in-Chief and William Tasman, MD Endowed
Chair at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. Ms. Robertson is an
accomplished life sciences commercial executive with an extensive
track record for building, leading and launching several commercial
organizations and products including successfully launching
multiple ophthalmic products for pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Haller and Ms.
Robertson to the Opthea Board of Directors. Both are recognized
leaders in their respective fields. Their extensive expertise and
advice will be instrumental as we progress OPT-302 through its
pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials with top-line data on track for
2023 and, if successful, through commercialization,” commented Dr.
Jeremy Levin, Opthea’s Chairman of the Board. “Building the Board
has been an important milestone in our journey to potentially bring
a unique medicine to address the unmet needs of those with retinal
diseases.”
Dr. Julia Haller, Ophthalmologist-in-Chief and
William Tasman, MD Endowed Chair at Wills Eye Hospital, serves as
Professor and Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at Sidney
Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University and is a
recognized authority in therapies to treat and prevent blindness,
having published over 350 scientific articles and book chapters.
She is also on the Board of Directors of
Bristol Myers Squibb and President of the John
Hopkins Medical and Surgical Association. Dr.
Haller previously served on the Board of
Celgene Corporation (acquired by Bristol Myers
Squibb). In addition to serving on numerous boards, Dr.
Haller serves as chair of the American Ophthalmological
Society’s Council, vice chair of the College of Physicians of
Philadelphia and chair of the Society of Heed
Fellows. She is a member of the National Academy of
Medicine, and president of the Women in Medicine Legacy
Foundation.
Dr. Haller received her Bachelor of Arts from
Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude, and completed her
medical training at Harvard Medical School. Her previous
appointments include Professor of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine, The Wilmer Eye Institute.
Ms. Judith Robertson, most recently Chief
Commercial Officer of Eleusis Ltd, was previously Chief Commercial
Officer of Aerie Pharmaceuticals, where she oversaw the launch of
Rhopressa®, the first product targeting a new mechanism of action
for the treatment of glaucoma in 20 years, and the launch of the
combination product Rocklatan®. Prior to Aerie, Ms. Robertson was
Global Commercial Vice President Immunology and Ophthalmology at
Johnson and Johnson, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and Global Vice
President Ophthalmology at Novartis (formerly Alcon). Her prior
experience also includes several senior executive commercial roles
at Novartis, Searle and Bristol Myers Squibb including President
and General Manager of Bristol Myers Squibb Canada. In addition to
Opthea, Ms. Robertson serves on the Board of Durect Corporation, a
Nasdaq listed company developing therapies for acute organ injury
and chronic liver diseases.
Ms. Robertson holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honors)
degree from Ryerson University in Canada and an MBA from
Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management in
Chicago.
About Opthea
Opthea (ASX:OPT; Nasdaq:OPT) is a
biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to address the
unmet need in the treatment of highly prevalent and progressive
retinal diseases, including wet age-related macular degeneration
(wet AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Opthea’s lead product
candidate OPT-302 is in pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials and being
developed for use in combination with anti-VEGF-A monotherapies to
achieve broader inhibition of the VEGF family, with the goal of
improving overall efficacy and demonstrating superior vision gains
over that which can be achieved by inhibiting VEGF-A alone.
Inherent risks of Investment in
Biotechnology Companies
There are a number of inherent risks associated
with the development of pharmaceutical products to a marketable
stage. The lengthy clinical trial process is designed to assess the
safety and efficacy of a drug prior to commercialization and a
significant proportion of drugs fail one or both of these criteria.
Other risks include uncertainty of patent protection and
proprietary rights, whether patent applications and issued patents
will offer adequate protection to enable product development, the
obtaining of necessary drug regulatory authority approvals and
difficulties caused by the rapid advancements in technology.
Companies such as Opthea are dependent on the success of their
research and development projects and on the ability to attract
funding to support these activities. Investment in research and
development projects cannot be assessed on the same fundamentals as
trading and manufacturing enterprises. Therefore, investment in
companies specializing in drug development must be regarded as
highly speculative. Opthea strongly recommends that professional
investment advice be sought prior to such investments.
Forward-looking statements
Certain statements in this announcement may
contain forward-looking statements, including within the meaning of
the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any
statement describing Company goals, expectations, intentions or
beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an
at risk statement, including, but not limited to, the continuation
of patient recruitment for Opthea’s pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials
of OPT-302 in wet AMD. Such statements are based on Opthea’s
current plans, objectives, estimates, expectations and intentions
and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including risks
and uncertainties associated with clinical trials and product
development and the impact of general economic, industry or
political conditions in Australia, the United States or
internationally. These and other risks and uncertainties are
described more fully in the section titled “Risk Factors” in the
final prospectus filed with the SEC on October 19, 2020. The
Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any
forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information,
future events, or otherwise, except as required under applicable
law. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking
statements as predictions of future events, which statements apply
only as of the date of this announcement. Actual results could
differ materially from those discussed in this ASX
announcement.
Authorized for release to ASX by Megan
Baldwin, CEO & Managing Director
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