iSTAR Medical Strengthens Board With Two Senior Appointments

WAVRE, Belgium, June 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Martin Wax, M.D. and Marc Nolet de Brauwere Appointed to Board of Directors

iSTAR Medical SA, a private medical device company developing novel ophthalmic implants for the treatment of glaucoma, announced today the appointment of Martin Wax, M.D. and Marc Nolet de Brauwere to the Board of Directors.

Dr Martin Wax is a scientific expert in glaucoma with over 30 years of experience in industry and academia. He is currently the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice-President of R&D at PanOptica, Inc., and was formerly Vice-President and Head of Discovery Research and Pre-Clinical Sciences at Alcon Laboratories.

Marc Nolet de Brauwere has over 30 years of industry experience and a successful track record in building and leading companies in ophthalmology. He is currently on numerous private and public company boards and serves as CEO of PhysIOL, an innovative med-tech company active in the conception, manufacturing and sales of cutting-edge intraocular lenses (IOLs).

Commenting on the appointments, Michel Lussier, Chairman of the Board at iSTAR Medical, said: "The recent funding milestone has enabled us to take the next major step in developing our treatments for glaucoma. We are very pleased to welcome Martin and Marc who will contribute their very complementary expertise. Martin brings both leading academic and industry experience in the US Ophthalmology space. Marc, as a seasoned company founder and CEO in Ophthalmic Medical Devices, will bring his extensive entrepreneurial knowhow to the company."

Dr Martin Wax commented: "I am pleased to contribute to the development of this progressive company. The STAR® material represents something unique in the landscape of glaucoma devices and has the potential to make a life-changing impact for patients. I look forward to working with the dynamic team at iSTAR Medical."

Marc Nolet de Brauwere added: "As a company, iSTAR Medical has enormous potential. The revolutionary MINIject device presents a unique business opportunity, both from an unmet clinical need as well as an important addressable, reimbursed market. I am delighted to be joining the board of such an innovative company and to help drive its success."

iSTAR Medical is currently focused on the development of its lead product, MINIject, a device designed to significantly reduce intra-ocular pressure (IOP) by enhancing aqueous humour outflow from the anterior chamber to the suprachoroidal space. Implantation is swift and predictable using an injecting mechanism in a single-step procedure. The company is set to take MINIject to its first human clinical trial later this year.

Biographies 

Dr Martin Wax is currently the Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice-President of R&D at PanOptica, Inc., a private biotechnology company specializing in ophthalmic pharmaceuticals. He was Vice President of R&D and Head of Ophthalmology Discovery Research and Preclinical Sciences at Alcon Laboratories from 2003-2008. Dr Wax was responsible for the creation and development of the Alcon pharmaceutical portfolio of compounds for the therapeutic areas of glaucoma, retina, allergy, dry eye and anti-infectives. He is also Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at Rutgers Medical School in Newark, N.J. and has been selected as one of the "Best Doctors in America" 2005-2008 by his peers.  He currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for Mimetogen, a biotechnology company based in Montreal, Canada, which recently licensed MIM-D3 to Allergan for the treatment of dry eye disease. Dr Wax has co-authored more than 200 publications and is a member of a number of renowned Ophthalmological Associations.

Marc Nolet de Brauwere was appointed CEO of PhysIOL in 1997 when he took over the company. He previously held different positions at Petrofina S.A. in the US and as an associate at McKinsey. He is currently an Independent Director at Bone Therapeutics, Cardiatis, Mymicroinvest, Endo Tools Therapeutics, Biotech Coaching and Aliaxis and is currently a Member of the Ashoka Support Network. He holds a Master's degree in Civil Mining Engineering from the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium and a Master's degree in Industrial Management from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

About iSTAR Medical SA  

iSTAR Medical SA, headquartered in Wavre, Belgium, is a clinical stage medical technology company focused on the development of novel ophthalmic implants for glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness after macular degeneration, there are currently 80 million people affected worldwide, expected to reach 90 million by 2020. Micro-invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS) is the most promising and fastest-growing therapeutic option in the treatment of glaucoma. iSTAR Medical has exclusive rights to the STAR biomaterial from the University of Washington in Seattle (USA) for ophthalmic use. This provides the foundation for the development of MINIject, which is designed to be a best in class MIGS device. The fast-growing glaucoma drainage device market is expected to reach $1bn worldwide by 2020.

iSTAR Medical's management team and board have a successful track record in end-to-end product development, with proven clinical, regulatory and market access capabilities. The company is backed by specialised institutional and private investors. For more information, please go to www.istarmed.com

For more information please contact:

iSTAR Medical
Michel Vanbrabant, Chief Executive Officer
info@istarmed.com

Hume Brophy
Mary Clark, Supriya Mathur, Alexia Faure
Tel: +44 207 862 6381
istar@humebrophy.com