REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Graybug Vision, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative medicines to treat vision-threatening diseases of the retina and optic nerve, appoints Parisa Zamiri M.D., Ph.D. as the company’s Chief Medical Officer, effective June 1, 2020.
Dr. Zamiri is a physician-scientist with deep expertise in biopharmaceutical and small molecule drug discovery and development, drug and device safety and pharmacovigilance, as well as biomarker development across multiple therapeutic areas. Dr. Zamiri is an ophthalmologist by training with clinical experience in medical retina, immunology and inflammation.
Dr. Zamiri joins Graybug Vision from Novartis Pharmaceutical, where she most recently held the position of Vice President, Global Head of Clinical Development and Therapeutic Area Head for Ophthalmology, leading a group of clinical scientists and ophthalmologists that designs and executes Phase 2b-4 clinical trials in small molecule, biopharmaceuticals, novel biologics, digital therapeutics and gene therapy for ophthalmic indications such as wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), retinitis pigmentosa and dry eye. Prior to this, Dr. Zamiri was a translational medicine expert, responsible for designing and executing multiple first in human and proof of concept clinical trials for novel medicines in ophthalmology at the Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Before joining Novartis in 2012, Dr. Zamiri was a Director of Pre-clinical Sciences at Arsenal Medical Inc., an early stage combination medical device company, where she led teams across cardiovascular, ophthalmology and pain programs using innovative drug/device combination technologies.
Dr. Zamiri received her medical degree from the King’s College Hospital, University of London, and did her ophthalmology residency at the North Thames Rotation, London, England. She earned her Ph.D. in ocular immunology for her research on the immune privilege of the subretinal space conducted at the Schepen’s Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear, a Harvard Medical School affiliated institute.
“I welcome Parisa as a member of our executive team,” said Frederic Guerard, Chief Executive Officer at Graybug Vision. “Her deep expertise in ophthalmic drug discovery and development paired with her proven leadership skills come at a critical time, as we plan to complete our Phase 2b clinical trial program with GB-102 in wet AMD later this year, and advance our leading glaucoma asset into the clinic.”
“I would like to thank the Company for its confidence in me to lead Graybug’s pipeline strategy and execution,” said Dr. Zamiri. “As a physician and scientist, I am excited about Graybug’s sustained ocular delivery technologies and their potential to alleviate the treatment burden while delivering better clinical outcomes for patients with vision-threatening diseases like wet AMD.”
About Graybug Vision
Graybug Vision is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing transformative medicines to treat diseases of the retina and optic nerve. The company’s proprietary ocular delivery technologies are designed to maintain effective drug levels in ocular tissue for up to six months and potentially longer, improving patient compliance, reducing healthcare burdens and ultimately delivering better clinical outcomes. Graybug’s lead product candidate, GB-102, a microparticle depot formulation of sunitinib malate, inhibits multiple neovascular pathways for the intravitreal treatment of retinal diseases, including wet age-related macular degeneration, with a six-month dosing regimen. This approach is differentiated from the current standard of care, which requires more frequent dosing and primarily targets one neovascular pathway. Graybug is also using its proprietary technologies to develop GB-401, an injectable depot formulation of a beta-adrenergic prodrug, for primary open angle glaucoma, with a dosing regimen of once every six months or longer, and GB-103, a longer-acting version of GB-102, designed to maintain therapeutic drug levels in the retinal tissue for 12 months with a single injection. Founded in 2011 on the basis of technology licensed from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Graybug is headquartered in Redwood City, California. For more information, please visit www.graybug.com.
Media contact
Bettina Maunz
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bmaunz@graybug.com