Ocuphire Pharma Strengthens Leadership Team with Key Appointments

Ash Jayagopal, Ph.D., M.B.A. Appointed Chief Scientific and Development Officer

Nirav Jhaveri, C.F.A, M.B.A. Appointed as Chief Financial Officer

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich., Feb. 14, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ocuphire Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: OCUP) (“Ocuphire”), a clinical-stage ophthalmic biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing small-molecule therapies for the treatment of retinal and refractive eye disorders, today announced the appointments of Ash Jayagopal, Ph.D., M.B.A. as Chief Scientific and Development Officer, and Nirav Jhaveri, C.F.A., M.B.A. as Chief Financial Officer, effective today.

George Magrath, M.D. M.B.A, M.S. CEO commented, “As the biology of Ref-1 continues to exhibit potential as a therapeutic target in patients with diabetic retinopathy, and potentially other indications, Ash and Nirav are critical to our ability to continue progressing APX3330 and its analog compounds in our portfolio, beginning with our phase 3 program in diabetic retinopathy. The team is now set and focused on executing our phase 3 program to turn our science into a reality for patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in America. I'm excited to work alongside such a talented team and together to take on significant unmet medical needs with compelling science.”

Dr. Jayagopal added, “I am excited to join the talented Ocuphire team that has a successful track record in drug development and execution. This is an exciting juncture at Ocuphire as the company continues to strengthen the retina pipeline by advancing APX3330 through clinical development for treating diabetic retinopathy.”

Mr. Jhaveri added, “I am thrilled to be joining a company that has the potential to be a leader in ophthalmology drug development. Ocuphire has demonstrated a commitment to addressing an unmet need in ophthalmic disease, and I am eager to contribute to its success by helping the company advance to the next stage of growth.”

Ash Jayagopal, Ph.D., M.B.A, is a bioengineer by training with over 15 years of experience leading multidisciplinary research teams focused on therapeutic research and development, drug delivery platforms, and biomarkers for retinal diseases in industry and academia. Prior to joining Ocuphire, he served as the Chief Scientific Officer of Opus Genetics. In this role he had scientific and clinical leadership responsibility for Opus’ retinal gene therapy portfolio, including management of discovery, manufacturing, nonclinical development, and clinical development functions. Prior to Opus, he was Executive Director of Discovery Medicine at Kodiak Sciences where he supervised early-stage portfolio development, and the Head of Molecular Pharmacology and Biomarkers in Ophthalmology at Roche. His accomplishments at Roche included leadership of teams conducting discovery and IND-enabling studies for over 16 programs, including the FDA-approved therapeutic for retinal vascular disease, Vabysmo (trademark of Genentech, Inc.), the first bispecific antibody in ophthalmology. Prior to his career in industry, he was an Assistant Professor and NIH-funded Principal Investigator at the Vanderbilt Eye Institute, Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Ash holds a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and an M.B.A. from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. An author on over 40 peer-reviewed publications, he has been awarded the Roche Key Contributor Award, Dolly Green Special Scholar Award from Research to Prevent Blindness, and a Junior Faculty Award from the American Diabetes Association. He is a Fellow of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), a Fellow and President of the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (AOPT). He serves on the Innovation Advisory Council for Foundation Fighting Blindness and the Editorial Board of Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics.