B+L names CMO

Rochester, NY-Bausch + Lomb (B+L) has appointed Calvin W. Roberts, MD, to the newly created position of chief medical officer. He will be a member of the executive leadership team and will coordinate the company’s global research and development efforts across the company’s vision care, pharmaceuticals, and surgical business units.

A specialist in cataract and refractive surgery, Dr. Roberts is credited with developing and producing over-the-counter products for vision care, prescription ocular therapeutics, and treatment regimens. He is considered to be the “father” of ophthalmic non-steroidals and has published 50 peer-reviewed articles, according to his new employer.

“As a renowned expert in ophthalmology and the development of eye-health products, Cal is uniquely qualified to help us further strengthen product innovation, benefiting our customers and their patients around the world,” said Brent Saunders, chief executive officer of B+L.

Dr. Roberts is a member of the board of directors at Alimera Sciences, a biopharmaceutical company he co-founded in 2003. He also is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Dr. Roberts holds patents on the wide-field specular microscope, used for corneal endothelial studies, and is the developer of instruments for cataract surgery. As a consultant to ophthalmic pharmaceutical companies, including Allergan Pharmaceuticals, Johnson and Johnson, and Novartis, he has helped lead the development and marketing efforts for several new therapeutics.

“I look forward to bringing the perspective of clinical optometrists and ophthalmologists to the development of new, innovative products to benefit our patients,” he said.