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Presbyopia Physician

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CORPORATE PROFILE

Presbyopia Physician July 1, 2021 Vol 1, Issue July 2021 Page(s): 26-28

 

 

 

WHAT DOES ORASIS MEAN?

The name Orasis has its roots in the Greek language, where it carries a literal translation of “good vision or sight.” Beyond this, however, it also contains greater meaning when interpreted as good vision in its positive mental/philosophical meaning — and this speaks to our aspiration as a company to develop pharmaceutical drugs that improve vision and quality of life for millions of people around the world.

ORASIS (OR-uh-sis) Pharmaceuticals is an emerging ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, with offices in the U.S. and Israel, focused on developing an innovative solution for the treatment of presbyopia. Orasis’ novel formulation of a sub-glaucoma dose pilocarpine and a proprietary vehicle, was purposefully designed to achieve an optimal balance between efficacy, safety and comfort, having the potential to position the company as a leader in the presbyopia space.

PRESBYOPIA IS UNAVOIDABLE

Presbyopia, the inability to focus on near objects, is a progressive, ubiquitous condition that is projected to affect more than two billion people worldwide in the next decade, and it is a global problem that cannot be ignored.1,2 A pharmacological drop provides an alternative to currently available options, particularly reading glasses.

Presbyopia becomes noticeable in the early to mid-40s and continues to worsen until around age 65.1,3 Early signs of presbyopia include starting to squint when reading, holding books and menus at arm’s length, and requiring brighter lighting to read. Presbyopia is often the first sign of aging.3

Presbyopia impacts daily near-vision activities, and having more options for people with presbyopia is highly anticipated by physicians and patients.

WHY SHOULD ORASIS BE THE ONE TO WATCH?

On the heels of promising results from a well-powered phase 2b study, Orasis is enrolling approximately 600 participants with presbyopia for their NEAR-1 and NEAR-2 phase 3 studies. The studies are multicenter, double-masked, parallel-group clinical trials in the US, and they are designed to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of their eyedrop candidate.

“The plight of the presbyopia patient is one that eyecare professionals and industry have been working to address for decades,” said Paul Smith, president and chief operating officer. “I am incredibly excited for what we are now building at Orasis, providing a novel treatment option for clinicians to serve these patients with a significant unmet need.”

MEET THE TEAM

 

 

  • Elad Kedar, Chief Executive Officer

Elad Kedar assumed the CEO role at the inception of Orasis in 2015. His deep pharmaceutical background began with Eli Lilly, giving him the foundation to be a successful CEO, now for the third time with Orasis.

Elad built the organization from inception by defining, creating, and leading all functions that are required to bring pharmaceutical drugs from proof of concept to commercialization. Among others, he was instrumental in the design and execution of the clinical development program and is now progressing Orasis through its phase 3 studies, NEAR-1and NEAR-2, with a high degree of confidence based on the promising results from the phase 2b study. Elad has laid the groundwork that will enable Orasis to take a leadership position as a frontrunner in presbyopia.

  • Interests outside of work- I enjoy spending quality time with my wife and kids skiing, traveling to exotic places, or simply going to dinner or out to a movie (when there isn’t a pandemic, of course). Personally, I enjoy running long distances and playing guitar.
  • What role had the greatest impact on your career trajectory?- My first entrepreneurial leadership role, building from scratch and leading an Israeli subsidiary of a Swiss pharmaceutical company. Not my biggest role but the one that taught me what “uphill battle” really means, and also what a great satisfaction I can have when I am creating organizations with my own hands.
  • If you won the lottery and could have any job, what would it be?- Wow, I actually have a long list and it keeps evolving... top picks (for now): ambulance driver, setting up my own VC, song writer — and a dream to be able to combine all of them.
  • Favorite food- Anything with Asian flavor.
  • Pet peeve about flying- It’s not the flying; it’s the jet lag that comes after it!
  • What role does presbyopia play in your personal life?- I’m going to turn 48 later this year. Around my wife and my friends, I’m one of the last ones who can actually read the menu when we go to a restaurant, and I really enjoy mocking all the others. But I know that my time will come too.

 

 

  • Paul Smith, President and Chief Operating Officer

Bringing more than 2 decades of leadership in eye care, Paul Smith has joined Orasis as President and COO, and he will be leading the expansion of the global commercial organization, with an initial emphasis on the US. His career has been dedicated to eye care, beginning with Alcon, followed by TearLab and most recently leading the Eye Care pharmaceutical franchise at Novartis. Paul brings the right balance of big pharma and entrepreneurial cross-functional leadership that will further solidify Orasis Pharmaceuticals' path to market. As a proven industry veteran, Paul is well suited to transform Orasis from a development stage company into a leading commercial ophthalmic organization with global scale and a strong US presence, positioning Orasis as a leader in presbyopia.

  • Interests outside of work- My two daughters and keeping up with their artistic and academic interests, cooking BBQ (more than I should), and playing golf (less than I should).
  • What role had the greatest impact on your career trajectory?- My first in the industry, carrying a bag for Alcon nearly 20 years ago. It brought me to eye care, which is a space I have had the honor to serve ever since.
  • If you won the lottery and could have any job, what would it be?- I would teach in some capacity, working to help create for others the circumstances for their success, much like mentors have throughout my career
  • Favorite food- Sushi.
  • Pet peeve about flying- While I am honestly glad to be doing it again at all, it would still have to be the dreaded delay.
  • What role does presbyopia play in your personal life?
    - I am in a season of life where I see it more and more, friends and family frustrated by the way it interrupts their lives. It is also starting to hit closer to home, but I won’t name any names. •

REFERENCES

  1. Wolffsohn JS, Davies LN. Presbyopia: Effectiveness of correction strategies. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2019; 68:124-143.
  2. Papadopoulos PA, Papadopoulos AP, Lindblad AS, Hays RD. Current management of presbyopia. Middle East Afr J Ophthalmol. 2014;21(1):10-17.
  3. McDonnell PJ, Lee P, Spritzer K, et al. Associations of presbyopia with vision-targeted health-related quality of life. Arch Ophthalmol. 2003;121(11):1577-1581.

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