(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK — IVERIC bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: ISEE) announced the appointment of Christopher Simms to senior vice president and chief commercial officer, effective August 2, 2021. Mr. Simms joins Iveric Bio from Novartis, where he successfully managed commercial operations for the U.S. Ophthalmics Franchise, launching BEOUV (brolucizumab injection) for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Before Novartis, he served as marketing lead for the Genentech ophthalmology business which included creating a new brand positioning and launching a new campaign for Lucentis (ranibizumab injection).
“In this newly created position, Chris’s responsibilities include developing and implementing the Company’s commercial strategy and establishing our commercial infrastructure as we complete our GATHER2 clinical trial, prepare for a potential new drug application (NDA) and begin to prepare for a potential launch of Zimura (avacincaptad pegol) for the treatment of geographic atrophy secondary to AMD,” stated Glenn P. Sblendorio, Chief Executive Officer of Iveric Bio. “We are excited about a potential launch of Zimura and our strategy to develop multiple, complementary assets to establish an AMD franchise. We believe Chris’s deep understanding of the retinal space and highly accomplished commercial experience with launching retinal products of blockbuster potential will serve us well.”
“It is exciting to see the advances that Iveric Bio has made,” stated Mr. Simms. “I believe the Company is well positioned as it begins to pivot to a commercial organization that brings treatments to patients suffering from devastating sight threatening diseases. I am thrilled to join the management team at Iveric Bio and look forward to building and leading a commercial organization that has a positive impact on patients and the development of our products.”
Christopher Simms
Mr. Simms is an accomplished healthcare leader with more than 20 years of diverse commercial leadership experience at Johnson & Johnson, Genentech, and Novartis, including focused experience in retina, ophthalmology, and optometry. Most recently, he was the Vice President and Head of the Novartis US Ophthalmics business unit which includes the brands BEOVU and Xiidra. He joined Novartis in 2017 to build the commercial launch strategy for BEOUV after leading commercial efforts on Lucentis at Genentech. Prior to Genentech, he spent 16 years at Johnson & Johnson working with leading brands across their vision care, diabetes and consumer goods businesses in Canada, Japan, and the US.
Mr. Simms has a Bachelor of Commerce from Memorial University of Newfoundland and an MBA from York University, Toronto, Canada.