Visiox Pharma Appoints Richard J. Rubino to Board of Directors

Mr. Rubino brings extensive financial expertise to the Board

Served as Medco's CFO in $29 Billion acquisition by Express Scripts

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Aug. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Visiox Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately funded biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of ophthalmic drugs to address highly prevalent diseases in need of new treatment options, is pleased to announce that Richard J. Rubino has been appointed to serve on the Company's Board of Directors as the Chairman of the Audit Committee. Rubino brings over three decades of expertise driving enterprise-wide financial strategy.

"Richard's appointment marks another significant milestone achievement for Visiox," said Ryan Bleeks, Chief Executive Officer. "His proven success driving business transformation and innovation will play an important role in our next stage of growth."

"I am excited to join the Visiox Board and to guide the company through their financial strategy as they scale," stated Rubino. "Treating highly prevalent diseases with new treatment options for patients is essential and I look forward working with the company to achieve the next level of its transformational journey."

Visiox plans to launch OMLONTI in early 2024, followed by once-daily PDP-716 (brimonidine) 0.35%, positioning the company to become a leader in glaucoma, a disease with significant impact on patients.

Currently, Rubino serves as the Chief Financial Officer of VillageMD, a primary care, multi-specialty, and urgent care provider organization serving millions of patients across the United States. Prior, he was the Chief Financial Officer at Cedar Gate Technologies, Inc, a value-based care enablement enterprise for payers and providers. Rubino served as Chief Financial Officer for Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. from 2012 to 2021, with its initial public offering in 2013. Rubino also held executive positions with Medco Health Solutions, serving as Chief Financial Officer until Medco merged with Express Scripts. Rubino is an inactive Certified Public Accountant and received his B.S. in Accounting from Manhattan College.   

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.

OMLONTI^® (omidenepag isopropyl ophthalmic solution) 0.002% is a New Chemical Entity (NCE) recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). OMLONTI^® (omidenepag isopropyl ophthalmic solution) 0.002% is a relatively selective prostaglandin E2 (EP2) receptor agonist, indicated for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Launch is expected in early 2024.

PDP-716 (brimonidine) 0.35% is a once daily brimonidine with TearAct™ technology for glaucoma expected to launch in early 2025. TearAct™ is a patented technology that involves the use of resin microparticles in a complex suspension form to improve the dosing frequency from TID to QD, prolonging the release of drug by reducing the immediate exposure and providing a slow, consistent, and sustained exposure. Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world, it is estimated that over 3 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know they have it.¹ 

SDN-037 (difluprednate) 0.04% is a twice daily topical difluprednate corticosteroid utilizing TJMä (Tight Junction Modulation) micellar platform that involves micelles to modulate the tight junctions (TJs) providing powerful post-surgical control of inflammation in a clear solution enabling convenient dosing with a proven active ingredient. SDN-037 is expected to launch mid-2025. 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 2050.²

PDP-716, SDN-037, TearAct™, and TJM™ delivery technology were licensed by Visiox from Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd. For more information, please visit Visiox Pharma or LinkedIn.

1. The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group, Arch Ophthalmol. 2004; Prevent Blindness America
2. Ocular Surgery Procedures: Market Scope, 2019

Corporate Contact

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

SOURCE Visiox Pharmaceuticals