Envisia Recruits Top Talent to Help Advance Promising Pipeline
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Envisia Therapeutics today announced that it has named Rhett M. Schiffman M.D., M.S., M.H.S.A as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Development. Prior to Envisia, Dr. Schiffman was the Chief Medical Officer at Neurotech Pharmaceuticals where he led the company's NT-503 program, a cell-based therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), through its phase 1/2 studies. He brings with him more than 20 years of expertise and achievements in ophthalmology.
"Rhett's track record as a clinical development strategist, thought leader, academician, and practicing physician is nothing short of stellar and we are honored to have him join the Envisia team"
"Rhett's track record as a clinical development strategist, thought leader, academician, and practicing physician is nothing short of stellar and we are honored to have him join the Envisia team," said Benjamin Yerxa, Ph.D., President and Co-Founder of Envisia. "Rhett's appointment comes at an important time as we continue to advance a very promising pipeline of ocular therapies, as well as identify new product candidates that can address unmet needs in ophthalmology. His knowledge and expertise in this area will be a great asset to our company."
Prior to Neurotech, Dr. Schiffman was Vice President of Global Drug Development and Therapeutic Area Head of Ophthalmology at Allergan where he was instrumental in the global development and approval of many successful products including Restasis®, Combigan®, Lumigan®, Acuvail®/Acular®, Zymaxid®/Zymar®, as well as Lumigan® and Ganfort® unit dose products.
"Envisia's proprietary PRINT® technology allows us to approach the development of novel ocular therapeutics in a manner that, until now, was not possible," said Dr. Schiffman. "I look forward to supporting the company in the capacity of Chief Medical Officer and am excited about the prospect of working together to bring to market cutting-edge therapeutics that have the potential to transform the way we treat ocular disease."
Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. in Bioengineering from Columbia University, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and his M.D. from the University of Juarez, Mexico. He also received Master's degrees from the University of Michigan in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis and in Health Services Administration. He completed residencies in both Internal Medicine and Ophthalmology at Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan and is Board Certified in both specialties and completed a Uveitis fellowship at the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Glaucoma Research Foundation and is Associate Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California at Irvine where he sees patients and teaches residents.
ABOUT ENVISIA THERAPEUTICS™
Envisia Therapeutics, formed by Liquidia Technologies in 2013, is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the development of novel ocular therapies. Envisia is leveraging the unique and powerful properties of the PRINT® technology to develop therapies for a variety of ocular conditions, beginning with ENV515 for glaucoma. ENV515 is a novel, extended-release formulation of a marketed prostaglandin analogue with the potential to significantly limit disease progression and vision loss through improved product performance and patient compliance. In January 2015, the company initiated a phase 2a clinical trial to investigate the safety and tolerability of ENV515 in patients with glaucoma. Envisia is located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. For more information, please go to www.envisiatherapeutics.com.
Contacts
Envisia Therapeutics Media Contact:
Michael Parks, 484-356-7105
[email protected]