BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ocular Therapeutix™, Inc. (NASDAQ: OCUL), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye, today announced the appointment of Daniel Bollag, Ph.D., as Senior Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance and Quality, effective immediately. In his role, Mr. Bollag will be responsible for leading and optimizing the Company’s strategic regulatory efforts, quality system and process controls.
“We are excited a professional of Dan’s caliber will be joining us at Ocular,” said Antony Mattessich, Chief Executive Officer of Ocular Therapeutix. “Dan brings a proven track record of complex global regulatory management and accomplishments in both large and small pharmaceutical company settings. He is a key part of our evolution into a true biopharmaceutical company. Dan’s expertise will be critical as we work towards resubmitting our new drug application (NDA) for DEXTENZA™ while continuing to advance our additional development programs.”
Dr. Bollag brings over 25 years of R&D and executive regulatory leadership experience to Ocular Therapeutix, having most recently served as Senior Vice President of Regulatory Affairs, Pharmacovigilance & Quality at Ariad Pharmaceuticals. During his tenure at Ariad, his responsibilities included the regulatory oversight of Iclusig® (ponatinib), from Phase 1 clinical development through accelerated approvals in the US, EU and Japan. Prior to joining Ariad, Dr. Bollag served as Vice President of Regulatory Affairs at Genzyme where he led the global development team responsible for regulatory submissions and approval of Mozobil®. Before Genzyme, Dr. Bollag served as Associate Vice President and Global Regulatory Domain Head at Sanofi-Aventis and held regulatory and project management positions of increasing responsibility at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co.
Eric Ankerud, Executive Vice President, Regulatory, Quality and Compliance, will transition out of his current role and remain with the Company as a Senior Advisor and consultant as he devotes additional time to building his business consulting practice. Mr. Ankerud will continue to provide Ocular Therapeutix with his time, input, and expertise to facilitate the transition as the Company executes on its plan to resubmit the NDA for DEXTENZA.
“We would like to thank Eric for his many contributions to Ocular Therapeutix as a member of our executive team over the last 10 years,” stated Amar Sawhney, Ph.D., Executive Chairman. “We are pleased Eric will continue to advise the Company in a consulting role and believe Dr. Bollag’s appointment will further strengthen our regulatory and quality teams, leaving Ocular well-positioned to advance its broad portfolio of product candidates that have the potential to improve outcomes for patients with diseases and conditions of the eye.”
About Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using its proprietary hydrogel platform technology. Ocular Therapeutix’s lead product candidate, DEXTENZA™ (dexamethasone insert) 0.4 mg for intracanalicular use has completed Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of ocular pain and inflammation following ophthalmic surgery. OTX-TP (travoprost insert) is in Phase 3 clinical development for glaucoma and ocular hypertension. Ocular Therapeutix is also evaluating injectable drug delivery depots for back-of-the-eye diseases. Ocular Therapeutix's first product, ReSure® Sealant, is FDA-approved to seal corneal incisions following cataract surgery.
