Aequus forms Strategic Advisory Board in Ophthalmology, Chaired by Dr. Ike Ahmed
VANCOUVER, November 5, 2018– Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX-V: AQS, OTCQB: AQSZF) (“Aequus” or the “Company”), a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on developing, advancing and promoting differentiated products, today announced the formation of a strategic advisory board in ophthalmology with the appointment of its first two members, Dr. Ike Ahmed of the Prism Eye Institute joining as Chairman, and Dr. Rosa Braga-Mele of the University of Toronto.
Aequus has formed the Advisory Board to assist in assessing and rationalizing the many ophthalmology pipeline opportunities, both in therapeutics and medical devices, available to the Company. The advisory board will help Aequus in determining whether a product can improve patient outcomes, integrate into a clinician’s workflow, and navigate the Canadian reimbursement and commercial landscape.
“The formation of our advisory board is another step in our continued commitment to the ophthalmic space in Canada,” said Doug Janzen, Chairman and CEO of Aequus Pharmaceuticals. “This initial appointment of Dr. Ahmed and Dr. Braga-Mele, both innovators and global leaders in ophthalmology, provides robust insight and guidance from within the clinic and strengthens our ability to assess the utility of products for Canadian patients and physicians.”
“I’m excited to work with Aequus to help advance ophthalmic care within Canada,” said Dr. Ike Ahmed. “With innovative product technologies routinely targeting the major markets of the USA and Europe, I’m happy to work with a company that is championing for Canadian patients, as evidenced by the launch of the Zepto Capsulotomy System. Working alongside my colleagues on the advisory board, we’ll look to address barriers experienced in the clinic and provide access to promising technologies not currently available to Canadian patients.”
“It has been refreshing working with a company committed to the Canadian ophthalmology landscape,” said Dr. Braga-Mele. “Aequus has quickly developed a reputation of responding to patient and physician feedback with the launch of Vistitan™ and the Zepto Capsulotomy system. I look forward to sharing best-practices, product concepts, and innovative techniques seen within our intimate global community with my colleagues on the advisory board to help advance ophthalmic care in Canada.”
Dr. Ahmed and Dr. Braga-Mele will be working with the Aequus team to add additional members to the Advisory Board over the coming weeks.
ABOUT DR IKE AHMED
Dr. Ike Ahmed has become world renowned for his skills and ground-breaking work in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of highly complex eye diseases including glaucoma and surgical complications. He has been at the leading edge of novel treatments for glaucoma, cataract, and lens implant surgery, having performed the first laser cataract surgery in Canada, and designing devices, implants, and techniques for ophthalmic applications. Dr. Ahmed has a keen interest in the development of advanced microsurgical devices, developing and coining the term “Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS)” for a new genre of surgical approaches and devices for treating glaucoma. Dr. Ahmed has published over 150-peer reviewed papers and given over 1000 scientific presentations thus far in his career. He is an ophthalmologist at the Prism Eye Institute (Ontario, Canada), Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, and Clinical Professor at the University of Utah.
ABOUT DR. ROSA BRAGA-MELE
Dr. Rosa Braga-Mele is a cataract specialist and educator who speaks frequently at both the national and international level on advanced surgical techniques, innovations in phacoemulsification surgery, complicated cataract cases, and IOL development. She was voted by her peers as one of the top 50 opinion leaders in cataract and refractive surgery and has over 150 published abstracts and papers within the field. She has been involved in clinical trials pertaining to wavefront IOL’s, multifocal IOL’s, and phacoemulsification surgery. Dr. Braga-Mele has been active within the ophthalmic community throughout her career, currently serving as Chair of the Education Clinical Committee for the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS), holding various roles in the past with the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the Canadian Ophthalmology Society, and achieving several awards for her contributions to mentorship and volunteer service within the community. Dr. Braga-Mele is a Professor of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, at the University of Toronto and the Cataract Director at the Kensington Eye Institute.
ABOUT AEQUUS PHARMACEUTICALS INC.
Aequus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX-V:AQS , OTCQB:AQSZF ) is a growing specialty pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing high quality, differentiated products. Aequus has grown its pipeline to include several commercial products in ophthalmology and transplant, and a development stage pipeline in neurology and psychiatry with a goal of addressing the need for improved medication adherence through enhanced delivery systems. As a complement to its focus in neurology, our most recent addition to the development pipeline was a long-acting form of medical cannabis, where there is a high need for a consistent, predictable and pharmaceutical-grade delivery of products for patients. Aequus intends to commercialize its internal programs in Canada alongside its current portfolio of marketed established medicines and will look to form strategic partnerships that would maximize the reach of its product candidates worldwide. Aequus plans to build on its Canadian commercial platform through the launch of additional products that are either created internally or brought in through an acquisition or license; remaining focused on highly specialized therapeutic areas. For further information, please visit www.aequuspharma.ca.