Senior executives are to depart Gilead Sciences, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Amgen, while C-suite and board hires have been reported at Sirnaomics, Pandion, Purdue Pharma, Cardurion and OncoSec.

The lesson that entrepreneurs and VCs seem to be taking from the fast-paced ophthalmology sector is the need for shorter development time frames and clinical candidates with reduced risk. Among others, MacuSight, Danube, and Lux, profiled here, are to one extent or another revisiting the existing pharmacopeia to test ophthalmic indications for existing compounds.

Statistical review compiled from our Strategic Transactions database including financings by type (IPO, private placement etc.); financings by sector (surgical equipment, implantable devices, etc.); alliances by therapeutic category (cardiovascular, orthopedic, etc.); alliances by industry segment (biomaterials, monitoring equipment, etc. ); for three separate industries: medical devices, in vitro diagnostics, and pharmaceuticals/biotechnology.

Acuity Pharmaceuticals is developing VEGF-directed RNAi-based therapeutics for ophthalmic diseases, including age-related wet macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.