DURHAM, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AERI), an ophthalmic pharmaceutical
company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of
first-in-class therapies for the treatment of patients with open-angle
glaucoma, retinal diseases and other diseases of the eye today announced
the appointment of Gianluca Corbinelli as Chief Commercial Officer –
Europe, reporting to Thomas Mitro, Aerie’s President and Chief Operating
Officer. Mr. Corbinelli will be responsible for overseeing the execution
of all aspects of Aerie’s commercialization activities in Europe, to
develop the commercial infrastructure necessary to support Aerie’s
business plans in Europe including ultimately the successful
commercialization of products in the region upon their approval.
Mr. Corbinelli recently held related leadership positions at Shire
International AG and Bayer AG. He brings significant experience in
international commercialization strategy and execution, particularly in
ophthalmology markets.
“Europe represents the second largest glaucoma market after the U.S. and
has always been an important component of our strategy. We have had an
active presence in Europe since before we initiated our Mercury 3 trial
for Rocklatan™ (netarsudil and latanoprost ophthalmic solution)
0.02%/0.005%, which commenced in September of 2017. Since then, our
Mercury 3 trial has been ongoing, our regulatory filing for Rhokiinsa®,
known as Rhopressa® (netarsudil ophthalmic solution) 0.02% in
the U.S., has been accepted for review by the European authorities, and
we have continued to build our presence at various ophthalmology
congresses in Europe. The interest in our product candidates is notably
increasing across the region,” said Vicente Anido, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer.”
Dr. Anido continued, “We are now at a point where we need focused senior
leadership as we prepare to ultimately enter this critical market. We
believe Gianluca brings the perfect background for this new position,
including broad international strategy, marketing, commercialization and
business expertise, with significant leadership experience in the
European region and ophthalmology markets. We wish him great success in
this exciting role.”
About Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Aerie is an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery,
development and commercialization of first-in-class therapies for the
treatment of patients with open-angle glaucoma, retinal diseases and
other diseases of the eye. Aerie’s first product, Rhopressa®
(netarsudil ophthalmic solution) 0.02%, a once-daily eyedrop approved by
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the reduction of
elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma
or ocular hypertension, was launched in the United States in April 2018.
In clinical trials of Rhopressa®, the most common adverse
reactions were conjunctival hyperemia, corneal verticillata,
instillation site pain, and conjunctival hemorrhage. More information
about Rhopressa®, including the product label, is available
at www.rhopressa.com.
Aerie’s second product for the reduction of elevated intraocular
pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular
hypertension, Rocklatan™ (netarsudil and latanoprost ophthalmic
solution) 0.02%/0.005%, the first and only fixed-dose combination of
Rhopressa® and the widely-prescribed PGA (prostaglandin
analog) latanoprost, has been approved by the FDA and is expected to be
launched in the United States in the second quarter of 2019. In clinical
trials of Rocklatan™, the most common adverse reactions were
conjunctival hyperemia, corneal verticillata, instillation site pain,
and conjunctival hemorrhage. More information about Rocklatan™, including
the product label, is available at www.rocklatan.com.
Aerie continues to focus on global expansion and the development of
additional product candidates and technologies in ophthalmology,
including for wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular
edema. More information is available at www.aeriepharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. We may, in some cases, use terms such as “predicts,”
“believes,” “potential,” “proposed,” “continue,” “estimates,”
“anticipates,” “expects,” “plans,” “intends,” “may,” “could,” “might,”
“will,” “should,” “exploring,” “pursuing” or other words that convey
uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include
statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook,
analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things: our
expectations regarding the commercialization and manufacturing of
Rhopressa® and Rocklatan™ or any future product candidates,
including the timing, cost or other aspects of the commercial launch of
Rhopressa® and Rocklatan™ or any future product candidates;
our commercialization, marketing, manufacturing and supply management
capabilities and strategies; the success, timing and cost of our ongoing
and anticipated preclinical studies and clinical trials for Rhopressa®
and Rocklatan™, with respect to regulatory approval outside of the
United States or additional indications, and any future product
candidates, including statements regarding the timing of initiation and
completion of the studies and trials; the timing of and our ability to
request, obtain and maintain FDA or other regulatory authority approval
of, or other action with respect to, as applicable, Rhopressa®,
Rocklatan™ or any future product candidates, including the expected
timing of, and timing of regulatory and/or other review of, filings for,
as applicable, Rhopressa®, Rocklatan™ or any future product
candidates; the potential advantages of Rhopressa® and
Rocklatan™ or any future product candidates; our plans to pursue
development of additional product candidates and technologies within and
beyond ophthalmology; our plans to explore possible uses of our existing
proprietary compounds beyond glaucoma, including development of our
retina program; our ability to protect our proprietary technology and
enforce our intellectual property rights; and our expectations regarding
strategic operations, including our ability to in-license or acquire
additional ophthalmic products, product candidates or technologies. By
their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties
because they relate to events, competitive dynamics, industry change and
other factors beyond our control, and depend on regulatory approvals and
economic and other environmental circumstances that may or may not occur
in the future or may occur on longer or shorter timelines than
anticipated. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the
heading “Risk Factors” in the quarterly and annual reports that we file
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). FDA approval of
Rhopressa® and Rocklatan™ also do not constitute regulatory
approval of Rhopressa® and Rocklatan™ in jurisdictions
outside the United States and there can be no assurance that we will
receive regulatory approval for Rhopressa® and Rocklatan™ in
jurisdictions outside the United States. Forward-looking statements are
not guarantees of future performance and our actual results of
operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of
the industry in which we operate may differ materially from the
forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any
forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only
as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update
our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
Contacts
Media: Tad Heitmann 949-526-8747; theitmann@aeriepharma.com
Investors:
Ami Bavishi 908-947-3949; abavishi@aeriepharma.com