WAVRE, Belgium — 4 September 2024: iSTAR Medical, a medtech company delivering breakthrough eye care solutions to patients, today announces the strengthening of its leadership team with the appointment of Richard (Rick) Beckman, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and member of the Board, and Kristine (Kris) Curtiss as Vice President of Clinical Affairs.
Rick’s duties as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) will cross clinical, regulatory, and medical affairs. Additionally, he will be a member of the Board. Rick brings deep insight and experience from his previous roles as a CMO, most recently at Adverum, and has an extensive background in the medical and surgical management of glaucoma as well as in glaucoma pharmaceutical and device development. Based in the US, he will be critical to the successful development of the Company’s clinical programs and will report to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Michel Vanbrabant.
Kaweh Mansouri, M.D., who is stepping down as CMO to focus on his appointment as Executive Vice President of the World Glaucoma Association, will continue as a consultant to the Company as a Senior Medical Advisor.
Kris joins the leadership team as Vice President (VP) of Clinical Affairs with over 20 years of clinical research experience and having held senior positions in biotech, medical device, and large pharma companies. She will lead iSTAR Medical’s clinical organization including its STAR-V trial and will report to the CMO, Rick Beckman. David Stocker, who held the role of VP of Clinical Affairs will return to his previous responsibilities in the commercial organization as VP Sales, Marketing, and Training.
Michel Vanbrabant, CEO of iSTAR Medical, commented:
We are delighted to welcome Rick and Kris to our leadership team. Their combined global experience in clinical, regulatory, and medical affairs will be instrumental in guiding the Company towards delivering breakthrough eye care solutions to a greater number of patients in additional global territories.
Richard Beckman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and member of the Board
Rick, a board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship trained glaucoma specialist, is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in the healthcare and biotechnology sectors. He was previously CMO at Adverum Biotechnologies, ReNeuron, as well as Clearside Biomedical. He was formerly the head of the glaucoma therapeutic area at Alcon. Rick is currently the principal at RLB, M.D., Consulting and serves on the Board of OceanZero US. He holds an M.D. from University of Michigan, completing his ophthalmology residency at Henry Ford Hospital, after which he completed a glaucoma fellowship at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary/Harvard Medical School.
Kristine Curtiss, Vice President of Clinical Affairs
Kris joins the iSTAR Medical team with extensive experience in clinical research and ophthalmology. She was previously VP Clinical Operations at Iveric Bio, Inc., and prior to that she held leadership positions at ophthalmic start-ups including PanOptica, Oraya Therapeutics, and OPKO. During her career, Kris has been a major contributor to 5 successful marketing applications, including Iverzay™ for Geographic Atrophy and Macugen® for exudative Age-related Macular Degeneration. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of Delaware and a graduate certificate in Project Management from Rutgers University School of Business.
About iSTAR Medical
iSTAR Medical is committed to delivering breakthrough eye care solutions. Our most advanced product, MINIject®, is approved in Europe for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma – the leading cause of irreversible blindness – and we are aiming to seek market approval in the US. We believe MINIject®’s distinctive tissue-integrating capabilities unlock a safer, and more effective option for patients. We are building an exceptional team and pipeline of potentially leading products such as MINIject® to establish new treatment paradigms in eye care conditions with the highest patient needs.
iSTAR Medical is an independent company which entered a strategic partnership with AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) in July 2022. The collaboration further supports the role of MINIject® in the treatment of glaucoma and accelerates iSTAR Medical’s goal to bring MINIject® to more patients globally while providing AbbVie the opportunity to further expand its diverse eye care portfolio.
About MINIject®
MINIject® is iSTAR Medical’s innovative MIGS device for patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. MINIject® combines the distinctive porous structure of its proprietary STAR material with the power offered by the supraciliary space. As a result, it is designed to enhance natural fluid outflow, reducing intraocular pressure (IOP) and the need for medication, while bio-integrating with surrounding tissue, limiting inflammation, fibrosis and subsequent complications.
About Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a progressive disease affecting over 100 million people globally, of which primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common form.[1,2] IOP reduction, through medication or surgery, helps delay disease progression.[3] Medication is generally the first line treatment, but the progressive addition of multiple drops can burden patients with side effects, compliance challenges and costs.[2,3] Invasive surgery can present risks with irreversible complications and often requires long-term patient management.[2,3] MIGS is the most promising and fastest-growing glaucoma therapy due to its enhanced safety profile.[2] MINIject® is potentially best-in-class for its promising long-term efficacy and safety.
[1] Jonas JB, Aung T, Bourne RR et al. “Glaucoma”. Lancet 2017; 390: 2083–93
[2] Market Scope, “2023 Glaucoma Surgical Device Market Report”, July 2023.
[3] “European Glaucoma Society Terminology and Guidelines for Glaucoma”, 4th Edition: British Journal of Ophthalmology. 2017;101:1-195 https://bjo.bmj.com/content/101/5/73
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