Jay S. Duker, MD.

WATERTOWN, Mass.—EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: EYPT), a pharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with eye disorders, announced the appointment of Jay S. Duker, MD, as chief executive officer. Dr. Duker has transitioned from his most recent role as chief operating officer and president. Dr. Duker has also been appointed to the board of directors of the company. In addition, Nancy S. Lurker has transitioned to the role of executive vice chair of the board of directors from the position of CEO.

“Serving as CEO of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals these past seven years has been an exciting journey, and I am immensely proud of what our team has accomplished to create a brighter future for patients at risk of losing their sight. It has been a privilege to lead the growth of EyePoint into a best-in-class leader in sustained ocular drug delivery, advancing first-in-class therapeutics,” said Lurker.
 
“We have accomplished a tremendous amount of value enhancing catalysts over the last several years including the advancement of EYPT-1901 into two oversubscribed Phase 2 trials, revenue growth for YUTIQ culminating in a successful sale of commercial rights to YUTIQ, and the significant strengthening of our balance sheet. With the transformation of EyePoint into a pure play drug development company, a compelling clinical pipeline, and recent financial and clinical achievements that put EyePoint in a position of strength, this is the right time to move into a new role. I have never been more excited about our potential and am deeply confident in the company’s future under Jay’s leadership.”

 
 
Lurker said, “Jay has been a tremendous partner and instrumental leader in his role as COO, helping to strengthen our organization as we progressed our pipeline of exciting and innovative ocular products, including reporting positive data for our Phase 1 DAVIO trial in wet AMD and the initiation of two Phase 2 trials for EYP-1901, our Phase 2 DAVIO2 trial in wet AMD and PAVIA trial in NPDR. I look forward to working with him as I continue my commitment to EyePoint as executive vice chair of the board.”

Göran Ando, MD, chair of the board of EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, said, “Jay is a world-renowned retinal specialist with a successful track record of founding ophthalmology companies. His clear vision and demonstrated ability to lead and execute, along with his clinical and retinal disease expertise make him uniquely qualified to continue to drive EyePoint’s growth as a leader in sustained ocular drug delivery.

"His background and deep knowledge of EyePoint, having served the company in various roles for the past seven years, coupled with EyePoint’s sharpened focus on advancing our expanding retina pipeline, make him the ideal fit to assume the CEO position, and reflects the realization of EyePoint’s long-term CEO succession plan. On behalf of EyePoint’s Board, we would like to thank Nancy for her outstanding leadership, under which the company achieved significant successes and is now well-positioned for continued growth and continuing to build value for our shareholders,” Dr. Ano said.

Dr. Duker said, “I am honored to become chief executive officer of EyePoint at this exciting juncture as we advance our potentially transformational treatment options for a variety of eye diseases and focus on expanding our pipeline by leveraging the sustained delivery capability of our Durasert E technology. As a physician dedicated to improving outcomes in retinal disease, I am incredibly passionate about EyePoint’s mission of bringing innovative therapies to patients at risk of losing their sight. I look forward to continuing to work with our top tier executive team and world-class board of directors to build on our recent achievements.”

Dr. Duker served as an independent member of EyePoint’s board of directors from 2016 to 2020. He joined EyePoint as chief strategic scientific officer on a part-time basis in 2020 then transitioned to full-time chief operating officer in November of 2021. In his role as COO, Dr. Duker was responsible for overseeing all clinical development, research, product development and manufacturing.