5 February 2020 - - US-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AERI) has appointed Michelle Senchyna, Ph.D., as vice president, clinical development and medical affairs, reporting to David A. Hollander, M.D., M.B.A., Aerie's chief research and development officer, the company said.

Senchyna will lead and direct the clinical development and medical affairs strategy for the company.

She most recently served as Executive director of Ophthalmology at Allergan, where she oversaw the clinical development of pharmaceutical, consumer and device products for anterior and posterior segment diseases.

Prior to joining Allergan, Dr. Senchyna held leadership positions in R and D and Medical Affairs at Alcon and Panoptica, with focus on anterior segment and biomarker discovery.

She began her career as an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry with research focused on ocular surface diseases and contact lens biomaterial development.

She is an author on more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, has given more than 60 presentations nationally and internationally, and holds multiple patents. Dr. Senchyna earned both a BSc. and Ph.D. from McMaster University.

In connection with her acceptance of the position as vice president, Clinical Development and Medical Affairs, Dr. Senchyna will receive awards totaling 20,060 stock options and 10,000 shares of restricted stock.

The stock options will vest over four years, with 25% vesting on the first anniversary of the hire date and the remainder vesting ratably on each of the subsequent 36 monthly anniversaries of the hire date; the restricted stock will vest over a period of four years in four equal annual installments on each anniversary of the hire date.

This award was made outside of Aerie's stockholder-approved equity incentive plan and was approved by the company's independent directors as an inducement material to Dr. Senchyna entering into employment with the company in reliance on NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c) (4), which requires this public announcement.

Aerie is an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class therapies for the treatment of patients with open-angle glaucoma, retinal diseases and other diseases of the eye.

The company's first product, Rhopressa (netarsudil ophthalmic solution) 0.02%, a once-daily eye drop approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, was launched in the United States in April 2018.

In clinical trials of Rhopressa, the most common adverse reactions were conjunctival hyperemia, corneal verticillata, instillation site pain, and conjunctival hemorrhage.