Clearside Biomedical appoints new Chief Medical Officer

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ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Clearside Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ:), a company specializing in delivering therapies to the back of the eye, has appointed Victor Chong, M.D., MBA as its new Chief Medical Officer, effective last Monday. Dr. Chong, a board-certified retinal specialist, brings over two decades of experience in ophthalmic drug development to the biopharmaceutical firm.

George Lasezkay, President and CEO of Clearside, expressed confidence in Dr. Chong’s abilities, highlighting his extensive background in advancing drug candidates, including his involvement in clinical trials for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD (NASDAQ:)) therapies ranibizumab and aflibercept.

Dr. Chong joins Clearside from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:), where he was VP, Global Head of Retina DAS, overseeing strategic decisions for ophthalmic drugs. Prior to that, he held a similar role at Boehringer Ingelheim, contributing to the clinical development of 11 molecules across various retinal conditions.

The new CMO’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for Clearside as the company prepares to analyze Phase 2b clinical trial data for its leading product candidate, CLS-AX, intended for the treatment of wet AMD. Dr. Chong’s role will be crucial in guiding the product development activities, including planning for the Phase 3 program.

Dr. Chong’s experience extends to his tenure as Head of Department and Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon at Oxford Eye Hospital and his academic contributions as Co-director of Ophthalmic Education at Oxford University. His research has notably linked systemic complement activation to AMD, and he has published over 150 peer-reviewed articles.

Clearside’s innovative approach through the suprachoroidal space (SCS) leverages their patented SCS Microinjector® to deliver therapies directly to affected areas of the eye. The company has already seen success with the approval of XIPERE® for suprachoroidal use and continues to explore partnerships to enhance its SCS injection platform.

This announcement is based on a press release statement from Clearside Biomedical, Inc.

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