Visiox Pharma Appoints Industry Leader Ryan S. Bleeks as Chief Executive Officer

Ophthalmic Industry Leader Joins to Accelerate the Organization in Anticipation of Two Near-Term Product Launches

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Visiox Pharma, LLC., a privately funded biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of ophthalmic therapeutic candidates to address highly prevalent diseases in need of new treatment options, today announced the appointment of Ryan S. Bleeks as Chief Executive Officer.

"We are excited to have Ryan join Visiox at this critical time for the organization," said Michael Derby, Visiox's Founding Investor and Executive Chairman. "His proven leadership in building teams, company infrastructure and executing successful launch strategies in the ophthalmics space will be instrumental as we accelerate our path towards commercialization."

"I am thrilled to build a business for the future that brings meaningful solutions to providers and patients while establishing Visiox's commitment to Ophthalmics," said Mr. Bleeks. "As we prepare for launch, we will continue to build a robust pipeline though the acquisition of early and late-stage assets."

Most recently Mr. Bleeks was the Vice President of Sales, Sales Training and Sales Operations at RVL Pharmaceuticals plc, where he was responsible for building the infrastructure, sales force and launch execution of UPNEEQ®, the first product to treat acquired blepharoptosis in adults with an innovative prescription cash pay strategy. Prior, he was the National Sales Director at Sun Pharma responsible for the successful launches of CEQUA™ and XELPROS™. Mr. Bleeks brings more than two decades of commercial experience, built on deep relationships in ophthalmology and optometry, which he established while launching more than 12 products in the eyecare space.

About Visiox

Visiox is a privately funded biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of ophthalmic therapeutic candidates to address highly prevalent diseases in need of new treatment options. Each day is an opportunity for us to disrupt and revolutionize the current market to maximize patient and physician satisfaction. As an agile business partner, we will achieve this through a high level of collaboration with all eye care professionals.

Visiox plans to submit two New Drug Applications to the U.S. FDA later this year in the glaucoma and cataract surgery markets. Our lead candidate, PDP-716, is a novel once daily brimonidine formulation utilizing our patented TearAct™ delivery technology, which provides slow, consistent and sustained release for IOP control throughout the day. Glaucoma affects 53 million people worldwide and is expected to reach 80 million by 2040¹.  SDN-037 is a twice daily topical difluprednate corticosteroid utilizing our patented TJM™ (Tight Junction Modulation) Micellar platform. The novel technology provides powerful post-surgical control of inflammation in a clear solution enabling convenient dosing with a proven active ingredient. Cataract extraction is the most frequently performed eye surgery in the U.S.  It accounts for 70% of all ocular surgeries. 50 million people are projected to have cataracts in the U.S. by 2050². For more information, please visit Visiox Pharma or LinkedIn.

1.  Tham YC. Global prevalence of glaucoma and projections of glaucoma burden through 2040. Ophthalmology. 2014 Nov;121(11):2081-90

2.  Ocular Surgery Procedures: Market Scope, 2019

Corporate Contact 
Ryan S. Bleeks 
Chief Executive Officer 
[email protected] 
914-987-2876

SOURCE Visiox Pharma LLC