Oyster Point Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: OYST), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class pharmaceutical therapies to treat ophthalmic diseases, today announced the appointment of a new Director and Chairperson to its Board of Directors.
The Oyster Point Pharma Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Donald Santel as non-executive Chairperson and a Director of the Company and a member of the Compensation Committee. Don joined the Board on July 30, 2021, and will take over as Chairperson as Ali Behbahani, M.D. steps down as Chairperson, remaining a Director of the company.
"We are excited and honored to welcome Don to our Board of Directors as we prepare for the potential approval and launch of our first commercial product at Oyster Point Pharma," said President and CEO Jeffrey Nau, Ph.D., M.M.S. "Don has extensive experience running companies in the pharmaceutical space. We look forward to his insights and contributions, including his leadership as Chairperson, as Oyster Point works to bring transformative therapies to patients with ophthalmic diseases."
"I am excited to join a company that is focused on becoming a leader in developing therapies for the ocular surface and anterior segment," said Donald Santel. "I look forward to working closely with Jeff and the rest of the Board as they build this company in the coming years to bring transformative therapies to patients and the eye care providers who take care of them."
About Donald Santel
Donald Santel served as Executive Chairman of Adicet Bio, Inc., a private allogeneic cell therapy oncology company, from October 2017 through its reverse merger with resTORbio, Inc. in September 2020. From March 2018 through April 2019, Mr. Santel also served as Adicet Bio's interim Chief Executive Officer. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Hyperion Therapeutics, a public biopharmaceutical company, from June 2008 until the sale of the company to Horizon Pharma in May 2015, and was a member of Hyperion's board of directors from March 2007 through the company's sale. Previously, Mr. Santel was a co-founder, member of the board of directors and the Chief Executive Officer of CoTherix, Inc., from January 2000 through its sale to Actelion in January 2007. Prior to joining CoTherix, Mr. Santel was employed by several medical device companies, including Cardiac Pathways Corporation (acquired by Boston Scientific) and Medtronic, Inc. Mr. Santel has served as chairman and independent director of Ocelot Bio, Inc., a private biopharmaceutical company, since June 2021. Mr. Santel has also served as an independent director of Consonance-HFW Acquisition Corporation since November 2020. Mr. Santel previously served on the board of directors and the audit and compensation committees of Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and as a director of ChemGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., each a biotechnology company.
About Oyster Point Pharma
Oyster Point Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class pharmaceutical therapies to treat ophthalmic diseases. Oyster Point Pharma's lead clinical program is focused on the development of OC-01 (varenicline) nasal spray, a highly selective cholinergic agonist, being developed as a preservative-free nasal spray to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease and neurotrophic keratopathy. In December 2020, Oyster Point submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a New Drug Application (NDA) for OC-01 (varenicline) nasal spray for the treatment of signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. The Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date is October 17, 2021, with a planned U.S. launch of OC-01 (varenicline) nasal spray in the fourth quarter of 2021, if approved by the FDA. Oyster Point continues to expand its research and development pipeline through internal innovation and external collaborations with a goal to bring transformative therapies to patients and the eye care providers that take care of them.
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