Clearside Biomedical, Inc. Appoints Richard Beckman, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

Print 04 January 2017

ALPHARETTA, Ga., Jan. 04, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Clearside Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLSD), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class drug therapies to treat back-of-the-eye diseases, today announced the appointment of Richard L. Beckman, M.D. to the position of Chief Medical Officer.

Dr. Beckman is a board certified ophthalmologist who brings 13 years of clinical practice experience and over 20 years of corporate executive and consultancy experience within the global ophthalmic industry to Clearside.   

Prior to joining Clearside, Dr. Beckman managed a successful pharmaceutical and medical device industry consulting firm that served a broad range of companies.  Previously, he held the position of Chief Medical Officer and General Manager of the Ocular and Novel Drug Delivery Systems business unit at Unilife Corporation.  He also held various leadership roles with Ophthotech Pharmaceuticals, Danube Pharmaceuticals, Becton-Dickinson, Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Alcon Laboratories, Lux Pharmaceuticals and Allergan.  Dr. Beckman received his medical degree from the University of Michigan, and practiced as a glaucoma specialist for ten years in private practice and three years in academic practice at North Shore University Hospital-Cornell University Medical College, following an ophthalmology residency at Henry Ford Hospital and a Glaucoma Fellowship at Harvard University.

“In addition to being a skilled physician, Rick is a seasoned corporate leader with a strong track record of delivering medical, scientific and strategic guidance to both large and emerging ophthalmic companies,” said Clearside’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Daniel H. White.  “I have great confidence that he will play a key role in the continued advancement of our clinical development programs. Richard will provide a strong liaison with both industry and clinicians and first and foremost ensure our clinical programs are designed to meet the needs of both clinicians and patients.”

About Clearside

Clearside Biomedical, Inc., headquartered in Alpharetta, GA, is a publicly traded, ophthalmic biopharmaceutical company that envisions a world without blindness. Clearside relentlessly pursues transformative, elegant, precise solutions to restore and preserve vision. Clearside is developing advanced clinical and pre-clinical candidates using a proprietary treatment approach offering unprecedented access to the back of the eye through the suprachoroidal space (SCS™). This offers potentially meaningful treatment benefit to patients suffering from sight threatening diseases like uveitis, retinal vein occlusion, diabetic macular edema and wet age-related macular degeneration.  To learn more about how Clearside is changing ophthalmology, please visit us at www.clearsidebio.com. 

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements may be identified by words such as “believe”, “expect”, “may”, “plan”, “potential”, “will”, and similar expressions, and are based on Clearside’s current beliefs and expectations. These forward-looking statements include expectations regarding the clinical development of Clearside’s product candidates. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in such statements. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially include uncertainties inherent in the conduct of clinical trials, Clearside’s reliance on third parties over which it may not always have full control, and other risks and uncertainties that are described in Clearside’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2016, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on November 14, 2016 and Clearside’s other Periodic Reports filed with the SEC.  Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on information available to Clearside as of the date of this release, and Clearside assumes no obligation to, and does not intend to, update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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