Aerie Pharmaceuticals Announces Appointment of Nina Ohara, PharmD, M.B.A, as Director, Marketing and Gregory Jones, CPA, as Director, Tax

Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AERI), an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class therapies for the treatment of patients with open-angle glaucoma, dry eye, retinal diseases and other diseases of the eye today announced the appointment of Nina Ohara, PharmD, M.B.A., as Director, Marketing, reporting to Deanne Melloy, Aerie’s Vice President of Marketing. Dr. Ohara will lead and support the development of strategies, programs and communication plans for the payer markets and manage all aspects of reimbursement to drive appropriate adoption of Rhopressa and Rocklatan in the United States. She most recently held a related position at Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Aerie also announced the appointment of Gregory Jones, CPA, as Director, Tax, reporting to Christopher Staten, Aerie’s Vice President of Finance. Mr. Jones will be responsible for all global tax related functions at Aerie. He most recently held a related position at Deloitte Tax, LLP.

In connection with their acceptance of their respective positions as Director, Marketing, and Director, Tax, the appointees will collectively receive awards totaling 33,800 stock options that will vest over 4 years, with 25% vesting on the first anniversary of the hire date and the remainder vesting ratably on each of the subsequent 36 monthly anniversaries of the hire date. These awards were made outside of Aerie’s stockholder-approved equity incentive plan and were approved by the Company’s independent directors as an inducement material to the appointees entering into employment with the Company in reliance on Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4), which requires this public announcement.

About Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Aerie is an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class therapies for the treatment of patients with open-angle glaucoma, retinal diseases and other diseases of the eye. Aerie's first product, Rhopressa (netarsudil ophthalmic solution) 0.02%, a once-daily eye drop approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, was launched in the United States in April 2018. In clinical trials of Rhopressa, the most common adverse reactions were conjunctival hyperemia, corneal verticillata, instillation site pain, and conjunctival hemorrhage. More information about Rhopressa, including the product label, is available at www.rhopressa.com. Aerie’s second product for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, Rocklatan (netarsudil and latanoprost ophthalmic solution) 0.02%/0.005%, the first and only fixed-dose combination of Rhopressa and the widely-prescribed PGA (prostaglandin analog) latanoprost, has been approved by the FDA and is now available in the United States. In clinical trials of Rocklatan, the most common adverse reactions were conjunctival hyperemia, corneal verticillata, instillation site pain, and conjunctival hemorrhage. More information about Rocklatan, including the product label, is available at www.rocklatan.com. Aerie continues to focus on global expansion and the development of additional product candidates and technologies in ophthalmology, including for wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. More information is available at www.aeriepharma.com.