Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has appointed leading retinal specialist Philip Ferrone, MD, as its chief medical retina advisor.
Tell me about Dr. Ferrone.
Specializing in complicated pediatric and adult medical and surgical retinal diseases, Dr. Ferrone serves as director of clinical research at Vitreoretinal Consultants in New York.
He is also currently a clinical professor of Ophthalmology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University/Northwell Health in Uniondale, New York.
Go on …
His experience extends to:
- Immediate past president of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS)
- Board of Directors member
- Previous president of the ASRS Foundation
- Member of:
- American Academy of Ophthalmology
- Retina Society
- Macula Society
- Club Jules Gonin (international, Swiss-based retinal honor society)
- New York State Ophthalmology Society
- Former president of the Long Island Ophthalmology Society
- Principal investigator of 50+ national clinical trials for retinal disease
See here for more details on his accolades and memberships.
So what will his role include?
Per Caroline Baumal, MD, Apellis’ chief medical officer, Dr. Ferrone’s expertise in retina research and patient care “will be invaluable as we continue to bring SYFOVRE to patients with [geographic atrophy] and advance our retina pipeline.”
Quick refresher on SYFOVRE, please.
SYFOVRE (pegcetacoplan injection) was FDA-approved in February 2023 as the first treatment option for patients with GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Designed as a 15 mg/0.1 mL dose, the formulation is intended to be intravitreally administered once every 25 to 60 days into each affected eye to potentially reduce the progression of GA.
See here for its full prescribing information.
Why SYFOVRE?
The therapeutic is Apellis’ top priority following its decision in August 2023 to cut its internal staff by 25% and restructure its research initiatives.
The plan: With millions in cost savings from these cuts, the company plans to bring SYFOVRE to more patients in the U.S. and across the globe, despite receiving a negative opinion for regulatory approval in the European Union from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) earlier this year.
The numbers: The company “recorded $114.3 million and $275.2 million in SYFOVRE U.S. net product revenue for the fourth quarter and full year 2023, respectively.”
Now back to Dr. Ferrone.
Dr. Ferrone stated that, as an early adopter of SYFOVRE in his clinical practice, he has “realized first-hand how impactful this treatment is for GA patients” and looks forward to advancing care for its target patient base.
And lastly … when is his position effective?
March 18, 2024.