Kala Pharmaceuticals Appoints Dr. Bernard Gilly to Its Board of Directors
Industry Veteran with Strong Ophthalmology Expertise
WALTHAM, Mass – November 27, 2013 --Kala Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading developer of innovative ophthalmic treatments based on its Mucosal Penetrating Product (MPP) platform, today announced the appointment of Bernard Gilly, Ph.D., the founding Chairman and CEO of Fovea (Sanofi), to its Board of Directors.
"Dr. Gilly is a seasoned entrepreneur in the biotechnology industry having spent over 20 years building and investing in leading life science companies. His track record and expertise in the ophthalmology space is an invaluable addition to Kala as we advance our pipeline of transformative ophthalmic products into the clinic," said Dr. Guillaume Pfefer, Kala's President and CEO.
"I am delighted to join Kala's board at this point in the company's evolution as it deploys its Mucosal Penetrating Product platform toward the development of innovative treatments for eye diseases," said Dr. Gilly. "Kala's proprietary MPPs evenly coat and permeate mucosal surfaces to enhance drug efficacy in a variety of mucosal tissues. I look forward to working with the Kala team to generate value by applying the MPP platform to develop novel therapies for both front and back of eye diseases."
Dr. Gilly brings more than 20 years of experience serving in management and board positions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. Most recently, Dr. Gilly served as Chairman and CEO of Fovea Pharmaceuticals and Senior Vice President of Sanofi's ophthalmology division, which was formed after the acquisition of Fovea to integrate ongoing internal and partnered ophthalmology programs. Prior to Fovea, Dr. Gilly was a Venture Partner with Sofinnova Partners from 2000 to 2005. He also served as a Co-President and Vice President of Research and Development of Sanofi Pasteur SA and Vice President of Research and Development of BioMérieux S.A. Dr. Gilly served as the Chief Executive Officer of TRANSGENE from 1992 to January 2001. He is the founder of several biotech companies, including Domain Therapeutics, WebSurg and Kutexis. Currently, Dr. Gilly serves as the Chairman of the Board of GenSight Biologicals, Pixium Vision and Enterome, three companies he has co-founded.
About Kala Pharmaceuticals
Kala's proprietary Mucosal Penetrating Products (MPPs) rapidly permeate the mucosal surfaces to achieve high concentration of drug at the site of action, resulting in superior therapeutic efficacy and outcomes for patients. Kala is advancing a diversified pipeline of transformative therapies for severe ophthalmic diseases such as ocular inflammation and wet AMD. Kala is also pursuing collaborations with partners to optimize the therapeutic properties of both marketed drugs and compounds in development other disease areas, includingrespiratory, female reproductive tract and gastrointestinal diseases. Kala was founded by leaders in the fields of nanomedicine, Dr. Justin Hanes of The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Robert Langer of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Dr. Colin Gardner formerly of TransForm Pharmaceuticals/Johnson & Johnson and Merck. The company is backed by leading investors including Lux Capital, Polaris Venture Partners, and Third Rock Ventures. For more information, please visit www.kalarx.com.