Oculis Announces Appointment of Daniel S. Char as Chief Legal Officer

ZUG, Switzerland, Oct. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

• Mr. Char brings extensive experience in leading legal, compliance and corporate governance functions in successful biotech and medical device companies
• The appointment further expands Oculis’ leadership team as the company advances its late-stage pipeline and prepares for commercial phase

Oculis Holding AG (Nasdaq: OCS) ("Oculis”), a global biopharmaceutical company purposefully driven to save sight and improve eye care, today announced the appointment of Daniel S. Char to the role of Chief Legal Officer, leading Oculis’ legal, compliance and corporate governance functions.  Mr. Char brings over 35 years of success in global legal leadership experience at both large and smaller biotech companies.

Riad Sherif, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Oculis, said: "We are delighted to welcome Daniel to Oculis. This appointment exemplifies our continued execution of Oculis’ strategic plan to advance our innovative pipeline and bring differentiated products to patients starting with OCS-01 as the first topical eye drop in retina.

Daniel S. Char, Chief Legal Officer of Oculis commented: "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join Oculis, a company with both an exceptional track record of strategic execution and multiple anticipated near-term milestones. I look forward to working alongside a talented team and supporting the company at this pivotal stage as it continues its journey to become a world leader in ophthalmology.”

Mr. Char brings to Oculis extensive legal expertise in corporate governance, compliance, drug development and commercialization, financing, licensing, and merger and acquisition transactions. Mr. Char joins Oculis from ImmunoGen where he served as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary. From 2018 to 2022, Mr. Char was the General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Evelo Biosciences. Before that, Mr. Char held legal positions of increasing seniority with several biotech and medical device companies, including Smith & Nephew, Targanta Therapeutics, and Biogen. Mr. Char began his career as a corporate associate with Goodwin Procter. Mr. Char holds a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Tufts University.

-ENDS-

About Oculis

Oculis is a global biopharmaceutical company (Nasdaq: OCS; XICE: OCS) purposefully driven to save sight and improve eye care. Oculis’ highly differentiated pipeline comprises multiple innovative product candidates in development. It includes OCS-01, a topical eye drop candidate for diabetic macular edema (DME) and for the treatment of inflammation and pain following cataract surgery; OCS-02 (licaminlimab), a topical biologic anti-TNFa eye drop candidate for dry eye disease (DED) and for non-infectious anterior uveitis; and OCS-05, a neuroprotective candidate for acute optic neuritis (AON). Headquartered in Switzerland and with operations in the U.S. and Iceland, Oculis’ goal is to improve the health and quality of life of patients worldwide. The company is led by an experienced management team with a successful track record and is supported by leading international healthcare investors.

For more information, please visit: www.oculis.com

Oculis Contact
Ms. Sylvia Cheung, CFO
sylvia.cheung@oculis.com

Investor & Media Relations
LifeSci Advisors
Corey Davis, Ph.D.
cdavis@lifesciadvisors.com
1-212-915-2577

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. For example, statements regarding the progress and results of Oculis’ clinical studies; Oculis’ research and development programs, regulatory and business strategy and future development plans; and the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals are forward-looking. All forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Oculis and its management, are inherently uncertain and are inherently subject to risks, variability, and contingencies, many of which are beyond Oculis’ control. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on by an investor as, a guarantee, assurance, prediction or definitive statement of a fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that we expected and/or those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to numerous conditions, many of which are beyond the control of Oculis, including those set forth in the Risk Factors section of Oculis’ annual report on Form 20-F and other documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC”). Copies of these documents are available on the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Oculis undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.