Oculis appoints Rebecca Weil, PhD, as chief commercial officer

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Oculis has announced the appointment of Rebecca Weil, PhD, as chief commercial officer.

The announcement, which came in the way of a press release from the company, stated Weil’s role will “lead the organization to commercial readiness from designing launch strategies for the US and globally and building the required commercial infrastructure to bring all of Oculis’ groundbreaking ophthalmic product candidates to markets worldwide.”

Riad Sherif, CEO of Oculis discussed the addition of Weil in the press release.

“We are thrilled to have Rebecca join us at Oculis. With her significant commercial leadership experience in ophthalmology spanning global strategy, marketing, and market access and her solid US market knowledge, Rebecca is the perfect fit for this role especially as Oculis initiates preparation of its anticipated first US launch with OCS-01. Her experience in building commercial functions from the ground up and strong track record in launching ophthalmology drugs for both, retina and front-of-the-eye indications, including Xiidra® in the US for dry eye disease will be instrumental to ensure commercial success with Oculis’ diversified pipeline, upon approval and expected launch,” said. Sherif.

Oculis also stated in the press release, Weil has extensive ophthalmology experience, with 20 years of experience in biotech and large pharmaceutical companies at the global, regional and local levels. Prior to joining Oculis, Weil was the senior vice president and head of global marketing for Idorsia. In that role, Weil was able to define go-to marketing strategies and launch the company’s first 2 products.

Weil expanded on her role in the press release from Oculis.

“This is a very exciting time to join Oculis and I look forward to building a strong commercial organization and preparing Oculis for its first potential launch in the US with OCS-01 for the treatment of inflammation and pain following ocular surgery. I am delighted to begin working with the team to develop the commercial strategy that will enable Oculis to reach its full potential, ensure company and market readiness to achieve commercial success and deliver its innovative therapies to patients worldwide,” said Weil.

OSC-01, the company’s lead product, has had recent topline results in the phase 3 DIAMOND stage 1 trial for diabetic macular edema (DME) and the phase 3 OPTIMIZE trial for inflammation and pain following cataract surgery.

If approved, OCS-01 has the potential to become the first topical preservative-free eye drop for the treatment of DME and first once-daily eye drop for inflammation and pain following ocular surgery.

References:

1. Oculis expands its executive leadership team and appoints Rebecca weil, PhD, as chief commercial officer as it enters pre-commercial phase. Press Release. Released September 11, 2023. Accessed September 11, 2023. https://investors.oculis.com/news-releases/news-release-details/oculis-expands-its-executive-leadership-team-and-appoints