Clearside Biomedical Appoints Victor Chong, M.D., MBA as Chief Medical Officer

Industry Veteran with Extensive Experience in Retinal Disease Research and Strong Track Record in Advancing Programs Through Clinical Development

ALPHARETTA, Ga., March 18, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clearside Biomedical, Inc. (Nasdaq: CLSD), a biopharmaceutical company revolutionizing the delivery of therapies to the back of the eye through the suprachoroidal space (SCS), announced today that Victor Chong, M.D., MBA was appointed Chief Medical Officer on March 14, 2024. Dr. Chong is a board-certified retinal specialist with more than 25 years of experience as a retinal physician and navigating all phases of ophthalmic drug development.

George Lasezkay, Pharm.D., J.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Clearside, commented, “Victor is a well-known and well-respected retinal clinician and scientist, who is a strategically focused and visionary leader. We are delighted to have him join the Clearside team. Victor has worked on small molecules, biologics, oligonucleotides, and gene therapy across the spectrum of retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), diabetic retinopathy (DR) and inherited retinal diseases, such as XL Retinitis Pigmentosa and Stargardt Disease. He has extensive experience advancing drug candidates through all stages of drug development and has been involved in numerous clinical trials as principal investigator, including the development of ranibizumab and aflibercept for wet AMD. Victor is well-suited to spearhead our suprachoroidal product development activities, including most importantly, the upcoming ODYSSEY Phase 2b wet AMD clinical trial data analysis and the planning for our Phase 3 program.”

“As a retinal physician with broad clinical experience, I believe that suprachoroidal administration using Clearside’s SCS Microinjector represents an important and innovative approach for delivery of drugs directly to the back of the eye to treat retinal diseases,” said Dr. Chong. “With the upcoming ODYSSEY data and extensive partnership portfolio, this is an exciting time to join Clearside. I look forward to working with the Clearside team to advance the CLS-AX program and develop a potential new treatment option for patients with wet AMD.”