Avedro Appoints Dr. Reza Zadno as CEO

New CEO to lead company through commercialization following FDA approval

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avedro, Inc., the world leader in corneal remodeling, today announced the appointment of Reza Zadno, PhD, medical device entrepreneur and health care senior executive, as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

“We are very pleased to have Reza join Avedro’s senior executive team as CEO”

“We are very pleased to have Reza join Avedro’s senior executive team as CEO,” said Gil Kliman, MD, Managing Director at InterWest Partners, and member of the Avedro Board of Directors. “His entrepreneurial skills and proven leadership will help assure the successful commercialization of our recently FDA approved cross-linking device and drugs in the United States, and speed our clinical development of PiXL, a first-in-category, non-surgical procedure for the correction of myopia.”

Reza brings to Avedro deep expertise in ophthalmology as well as other life science sectors, leveraging his extensive operational and technical experience in multiple highly successful companies. Previously, Reza was the founder, president and CEO of Visiogen (acquired by Abbott), Chairman of the Board at Transcend Medical (acquired by Alcon) and Oraya Therapeutics (acquired by Zeiss). He has also been an advisor to InterWest Partners and Novartis Venture Fund.

“It’s been exciting to watch Avedro make tremendous strides in bringing corneal cross-linking to market,” said Reza Zadno. “I’m honored to join this team of talented professionals and look forward to working with them to deliver products that dramatically improve the lives of patients with keratoconus around the world and to advance non-surgical technology to help reduce the need for eyeglasses and contact lenses.”

Reza will join Avedro’s accomplished executive team, including Rajesh K. Rajpal, MD, who joined Avedro as Chief Medical Officer early this year. Dr. Rajpal, a board-certified ophthalmologist, researcher and industry executive, provides strategic direction leading Avedro’s medical affairs, regulatory and clinical efforts worldwide.

“As one of the first investigators in the Avedro clinical studies for collagen cross-linking and a former member of its Medical Advisory Board, I am acutely aware of the important clinical benefits of Avedro’s products today, and the exciting potential that they have in the future,” said Dr. Rajpal. “I look forward to working with Reza and our entire team to help advance the commercialization and clinical development of Avedro’s cross-linking products globally.”

About Avedro, Inc.

Avedro is a privately held pharmaceutical and medical device company advancing the science and technology of corneal cross-linking and refractive correction.

Avedro’s Photrexa^® Viscous, Photrexa^® and KXL^® products are approved for sale in the United States for the treatment of progressive keratoconus and corneal ectasia following refractive surgery. Avedro’s products sold outside of the United States include capital equipment such as the UV-X devices, the KXL and Mosaic™ Systems, and related proprietary pharmaceuticals such as the VibeX^® and MedioCROSS^® formulations. Avedro distributes its products in countries outside of the United States through a network of ophthalmic medical device distributors.