EyePoint Pharmaceuticals brings on new board member and promotes new executive vice president

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EyePoint Pharmaceuticals has appointed Stuart Duty to its Board of Directors and promoted George Elston to Executive Vice President.

In the press release¹, Jay S. Duker, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals shared his excitement and highlighted the qualifications that Stuart Duty brings to the table. He said, “We are excited to welcome Mr. Duty to our Board of Directors. Stuart is a seasoned veteran in biotech finance and investment banking, and we plan to leverage his broad expertise working with biopharmaceutical companies during this critical period of EyePoint’s development. We look forward to benefitting from his strategic insight as we continue to advance our pipeline through key milestones over the coming quarters, including the topline Phase 2 DAVIO 2 data readout for EYP-1901 in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) anticipated in December.”

Duker also provided insights on the leadership Elston has provided to the company and the value he will continue to bring in his new position, saying, “George Elston has been instrumental to EyePoint’s organizational growth, financial success, and strategic long-term vision since he joined the company four years ago. His promotion to Executive Vice President underscores the invaluable role that he has played in EyePoint’s successful track record of execution, utilizing his financial prowess to advance the company’s growing pipeline through development and to build a strong balance sheet. George also drove the acquisition of key assets for our pipeline including razuprotafib, the active drug in EYP-2301, our latest pipeline program. On behalf of the entire leadership team, we congratulate George and look forward to his continued contributions to EyePoint as we continue to build value for our shareholders during this exciting time in the company’s growth.”¹

The press release also includes a short biography of the new board member, which is as follows:

Stuart Duty is an experienced financial executive with over 30 years of experience in finance and investment banking. Duty has focused primarily on biotechnology and specialty pharmaceuticals clients for much of his career, advising senior executives and boards on a range of financing activities and strategic transactions. Duty was most recently a Senior Managing Director at Guggenheim Securities, LLC. Previously, he held senior roles at Piper Jaffray and Montgomery Securities, and held operating roles at Oracle Partners and Curative Technologies. Duty holds a BA in Biochemistry from Occidental College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.¹

On the subject of the company and his appointment, Duty said the following, “I am delighted to join EyePoint’s Board of Directors at such an exciting time for the Company, as EYP-1901 rapidly approaches multiple upcoming data readouts in wet AMD and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy. I am inspired by and share EyePoint’s commitment to improving clinical outcomes for patients facing a great unmet need for sustained-delivery options, and I look forward to working closely with my fellow Board members to support the Company’s strategic objectives as it continues to advance its innovative ophthalmic pipeline.”¹

In addition to the information on Duty, the company also showcased the achievements of its new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, George Elston as follows:

Elston joined EyePoint in 2019 as Chief Financial Officer & Head of Corporate Development. He brings more than 30 years of experience in financial and biopharmaceutical experience, with particular expertise in financial, capital markets and corporate development initiatives. Prior to EyePoint, Elston served as Chief Financial Officer & Head of Corporate Development at Enzyvant Therapeutics, where he helped build the rare disease firm, leading to its eventual acquisition. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer at 2X Oncology, Inc., where he advanced the company from a spin-out into a multiprogram, clinical-stage organization, and held senior executive roles at Juniper Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; KBI Biopharma; and Optherion, Inc. Elston began his career in public accounting at PriceWaterhouseCoopers. He holds a BBA in Accounting from Pace University and is a Certified Public Accountant. Elston currently serves as a Board Member of the DWS – DBX ETF Trust.¹

Regarding his promotion, Elston is quoted as saying,“I am honored to take on this role at EyePoint as we work to bring innovative ocular solutions to patients. EyePoint has built a tremendous foundation and a track record of reliable execution, and I am eager to drive the company’s continued evolution as we deliver upon EyePoint’s goal of being the leader in innovating ocular sustained-delivery treatments.”¹

Reference:

1. EyePoint Pharmaceuticals Strengthens Board and Executive Leadership Team. EyePoint Pharmaceuticals. October 16, 2023. Accessed October 20, 2023. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/10/16/2760482/0/en/EyePoint-Pharmaceuticals-Strengthens-Board-and-Executive-Leadership-Team.html