TEL AVIV, Israel & MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Azura Ophthalmics., a clinical-stage company developing innovative therapies for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) and related eye diseases, today announced the appointment of Steven M. Altschuler, M.D., as chair of its board of directors. Dr. Altschuler brings over 20 years of experience building, scaling and leading world-class healthcare and biotechnology companies. He currently serves as managing director of Healthcare Ventures at Ziff Capital Partners. Previously, he co-founded Spark Therapeutics and served as board chair through its progress from private company to IPO and later acquisition by Roche in 2019.

“We are very pleased to welcome Steven as chair of Azura’s board of directors,” said Marc Gleeson, chief executive officer of Azura Ophthalmics. “Steven has a proven track record of scaling both private and public organizations and has distinguished himself as a strategic thinker and leader in biotech. We look forward to Steve’s contributions and the unique perspective he will bring to our business with his deep healthcare experience, including ophthalmology.”

Trained as a pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Altschuler formerly held CEO positions at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), one of the United States leading children’s hospitals, and the University of Miami Health System. Currently, Dr. Altschuler is the chair of the board of AsclepiX Therapeutics, 89Bio and PlateletBio, serves on the boards of ImVax, Orchard Therapeutics, Affinivax and WW (formerly Weight Watchers International), and is an independent trustee of the Brigham and Women’s Physician Organization. Dr. Altschuler holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University.

“I believe Azura is well-positioned to upend the treatment of ocular surface disease and transform the ophthalmic market with its robust therapeutic portfolio,” said Dr. Altschuler. “I look forward to working closely with the management team and current board as we continue to advance our lead product candidate AZR-MD-001 and pipeline to bring innovative ophthalmic therapies to patients.”

About Azura Ophthalmics, Ltd.

Azura Ophthalmics is a clinical-stage company headquartered in Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel with operations in Australia and the U.S. The company is taking a unique approach to ocular surface disease (OSD) by developing the first ophthalmic keratolytics for the treatment of lid margin diseases such as Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), Blepharitis and Contact Lens Discomfort (CLD). By targeting the root cause of MGD, Azura brings the promise of improved health and well-being to millions of patients worldwide who suffer from MGD and other ocular surface diseases where treatment options are currently lacking.

Azura Ophthalmics has a robust clinical development pipeline with an initial focus on developing medicines to treat Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and Contact Lens Discomfort (CLD). The company’s pipeline also includes new chemical entities in pre-clinical stages for a number of ocular and lid margin diseases.

Azura is underpinned by an experienced management team with an established track record of successfully developing and commercializing novel treatments for ocular surface diseases. For more information visit: www.azuraophthalmics.com and follow Azura on LinkedIn.

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