SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Visus Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage company in pursuit of developing the world’s first presbyopia-correcting eye drop with the potential to last a minimum of eight hours, today announced the appointments of prominent ophthalmologists Marguerite McDonald, M.D., Neda Shamie, M.D., William Trattler, M.D., and Lawrence Woodard, M.D., to its clinical advisory board. Drs. McDonald, Shamie, Trattler and Woodard will lend their decades of experience in clinical practice and pharmaceutical trials to provide strategic guidance related to Visus’ clinical development program for BRIMOCHOL™, an investigational eye drop designed to restore the loss of near vision associated with presbyopia. The clinical advisory board is led by industry veteran Eric Donnenfeld, M.D., founding partner of Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island and Connecticut and Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at New York University Medical Center.
“We are honored to welcome this renowned group of ophthalmologists to our clinical advisory board at this pivotal time for Visus, specifically as we advance into Phase 2 clinical studies with our lead candidate, BRIMOCHOL,” said Ben Bergo, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Visus Therapeutics. “Each board member’s individual expertise as well as their collective knowledge of the industry will be invaluable in our endeavor to develop the world’s first presbyopia-correcting eye drop that has the potential to last a minimum of eight hours. We look forward to collaborating with this talented team of experts as we continue to move our clinical development program forward.”
Dr. McDonald is a fellowship-trained cornea specialist who practices at Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island. She is also a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at New York University in Manhattan and a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Tulane University Medical School in New Orleans. Her pioneering work in refractive surgery included development and performance of the world’s first excimer laser refractive procedure in patients in 1988. Dr. McDonald serves on numerous editorial boards of clinical and scientific journals and is an active member of multiple national and international professional societies, having served as the first female President of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) and the first female President of the International Society of Refractive Surgery of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Dr. Shamie is a renowned cataract, LASIK and corneal surgeon and partner of the Maloney-Shamie Vision Institute in Los Angeles. She previously served as the Medical Director of the Doheny Eye Institute in Beverly Hills and is currently a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Shamie has co-authored over 50 publications, written eight chapters for surgical textbooks and taught internationally about the advances in vision correction surgery. She was the first surgeon in the Northwest to offer artificial corneal transplantation as well as DMEK surgery to patients. An active member of numerous ophthalmic societies, Dr. Shamie has served on the Cornea Clinical Committee of the ASCRS, was the President of the Los Angeles Society of Ophthalmology and was voted by peers to be among America’s Top Doctors.
Dr. Trattler is a fellowship-trained cornea specialist who practices at the Center For Excellence In Eye Care in Miami. He is also the current U.S. President of the American-European Congress of Ophthalmic Surgery (AECOS). Dr. Trattler has participated in more than 70 clinical trials and has been an author in more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. Trattler lectures at conferences in the U.S. and internationally on topics ranging from cornea/keratoconus, cataract surgery, refractive surgery, and ocular surface disease. He is on the planning committee of AECOS Deer Valley, Hawaiian Eye, OSN New York and the Cedars Aspens annual meeting.
Dr. Woodard is a board-certified ophthalmologist who serves as Medical Director of Omni Eye Services of Atlanta. He specializes in cataract surgery, including multifocal and toric intraocular lenses, as well as corneal surgery. As one of the nation’s leading cataract surgeons, Dr. Woodard lectures extensively at national and international meetings, educating doctors on cataract surgery techniques and new technologies. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, a founding member of the American College of Ophthalmic Surgery and a member of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.
About Presbyopia
Presbyopia is the loss of near vision associated with aging, making it difficult to perform tasks like reading. It typically begins when adults are in their 40s, and becomes almost universal by age 50.1 Presbyopia impacts billions of people globally with approximately 123 million adults affected in the U.S. alone.2 While reading glasses are the most common solution, many people find glasses to be inconvenient and a detriment to their appearance. Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications for presbyopia.
About Visus Therapeutics
Visus Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company in pursuit of developing the world’s first presbyopia-correcting eye drop with the potential to last a minimum of eight hours. With offices in Seattle and Orange County, Calif., its lead clinical candidate is BRIMOCHOL, an eye drop designed to correct the loss of near vision associated with presbyopia. In parallel, Visus Therapeutics is focused on advancing its pipeline of early-stage ophthalmic product candidates. For more information, visit: www.visustx.com and follow us on Twitter (@VisusTx) and on LinkedIn.
1 US Census data, www.census.gov, accessed 7 September, 2019.
2 Market Scope, Global Presbyopia-Correcting Surgery Market Report, April 2012.
