BEDMINSTER, N.J. & RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that Thomas Mitro has been named President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company. Mr. Mitro has over 30 years of pharmaceutical industry experience in sales and marketing, commercial operations, and business development. He has held senior leadership positions at ophthalmology firms ISTA Pharmaceuticals and Allergan, responsible for launching a total of seven eye care products in the US. Mr. Mitro’s appointment at Aerie is effective immediately.
Vicente Anido, Jr., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Aerie Pharmaceuticals, stated, “Tom’s extensive experience, particularly in ophthalmology, will be critical to the continued success of Aerie as we further advance our product development pipeline and first-in-class product candidate AR-13324 for glaucoma. I look forward to working closely again with Tom, with whom I had the great pleasure to collaborate during our respective tenures at ISTA and at Allergan.”
Prior to joining Aerie, Mr. Mitro most recently served as Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Omeros Corporation, a publicly traded clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Prior to this, Mr. Mitro was Vice President, Sales and Marketing at ISTA Pharmaceuticals, where he was instrumental in building ISTA’s commercial operations and launching several eye care products, including Bromday® (bromfenac ophthalmic solution) 0.09% and BEPREVE™ (bepotastine besilate ophthalmic solution) 1.5%. At the time of ISTA’s acquisition by Bausch & Lomb, ISTA had grown to become the third largest branded prescription eye care business in the US. Previously, Mr. Mitro held various positions at Allergan, Inc., including Vice President, Skin Care; Vice President, Business Development; and Vice President, e-Business. Mr. Mitro received his B.S. degree from Miami University.
“I’m excited to be a part of a leading team working in a segment of eye care with substantial market opportunity for products with new mechanisms of action,” stated Mr. Mitro. “This is exemplified by Aerie’s lead product candidate, AR-13324, which offers a distinctive dual action as monotherapy and also has potential as a triple action therapy in combination with latanoprost.”
About Aerie Pharmaceuticals
Aerie Pharmaceuticals is a privately held pharmaceutical company in late Phase 2 dedicated to the discovery and development of novel small-molecule treatments for glaucoma. Aerie’s internal research and development engine has generated an innovative glaucoma pipeline of proprietary product candidates, which are well tolerated, high efficacy, once-daily eye drop therapies that include the first new mechanisms of action for glaucoma treatment in nearly 20 years.
The Company’s lead product candidate, AR-13324, is the first of a new dual action drug class that reduces the eye’s fluid inflow while also increasing fluid outflow through the trabecular meshwork, which is the eye’s main fluid drain, all in a highly effective single drop per day. Aerie’s PG324 fixed combination of AR-13324 with latanoprost is a first-in-class glaucoma therapy to lower intraocular pressure by reducing fluid inflow while also opening both of the eye’s fluid drains. This product candidate offers the convenience of two drugs in one eye drop.
Aerie is located in Bedminster, New Jersey and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Further information on the Company is available at www.aeriepharma.com.
