UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT
TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Item 5.02. | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. |
On December 13, 2021, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (the “Company”) appointed David Hollander, MD, MBA as a member of the Board to fill a vacancy created by the previously disclosed resignations of two directors from the Board in August 2021. Dr. Hollander will serve as a Class III director, and will serve until the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until his respective successor is duly elected and qualified or his earlier resignation or removal.
The Board has determined that Dr. Hollander is independent under the rules of The Nasdaq Capital Market. As a non-employee director of the Company, Dr. Hollander will each receive compensation in the same manner of the Company’s other non-employee directors, as described in the section entitled “Director Compensation” in the Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A for the Company’s 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 30, 2021.
Dr. Hollander, age 47, has served as the Chief Research and Development Officer of Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since November 2019. Dr. Hollander began his career in industry in 2006 at Allergan as a Medical Director of Ophthalmology where he also held a number of leadership roles including Vice President of Eye Care for US Medical Affairs, Vice President and Head of Eye Care for Global Medical Affairs, as well as Therapeutic Area Head in Clinical Development for Anterior Segment and Consumer Eye Care. During this time, Dr. Hollander continued to see patients and instruct residents and fellows in cataract surgery and corneal transplantation. Dr. Hollander previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Ora, Inc., the leading ophthalmic Contract Research Organization, from April 2016 to November 2019. While at Ora, Dr. Hollander oversaw medical operations across pharmaceutical and device clinical development, preclinical studies, as well as research and development into new regulatory endpoints, most notably the development of novel mobility courses for evaluating treatments for inherited retinal diseases. Dr. Hollander received his B.S. in chemistry with honors and distinction from Stanford University, and earned his medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Hollander also obtained an M.B.A. in Health Care Management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
There are no arrangements or understandings between Dr. Hollander and any other person pursuant to which Dr. Hollander was appointed as a director of the Company, and there are no family relationships between Dr. Hollander and any director or executive officer of the Company. Since the beginning of the Company’s last fiscal year, the Company has not engaged in any transactions, and there are no proposed transactions, or series of similar transactions, in which Dr. Hollander was or is to be a participant and in which any related person had a direct or indirect material interest in which the amount involved exceeds or exceeded $120,000.
Item 7.01. | Regulation FD Disclosure. |
On December 15, 2021, the Company issued a press release announcing the appointment of Dr. Hollander to the Board. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
The information furnished herein, including Exhibit 99.1, is not deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. This information will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates them by reference.
Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) | Exhibits. |
The Company hereby files or furnishes, as applicable, the following exhibits:
99.1 | Press Release of the Company, dated as of December 15, 2021 | |
104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). |
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
KIORA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. | |||
By: | /s/ Brian M. Strem, Ph.D. | ||
Brian M. Strem, Ph.D. | |||
President and Chief Executive Officer | |||
Date: December 15, 2021 |
Exhibit 99.1
Kiora Pharmaceuticals Appoints David Hollander, MD, MBA, to its Board of Directors
SALT LAKE CITY, UT, Dec 15, 2021 – Kiora Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: KPRX), (“Kiora” or the “Company”) announced the appointment of David Hollander, MD, MBA, to its Board of Directors. Dr. Hollander, who currently serves as the Chief Research and Development Officer of Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Aerie”), brings extensive ophthalmic industry expertise and insight to the Company’s board.
“Kiora has a compelling development pipeline, including KIO-301, a clinical-ready small molecule with the potential to restore vision in patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare, genetic form of blindness,” said Dr. Hollander. “Further, the recently reported topline KIO-101 data suggest that Kiora has a differentiated compound, which could offer physicians a new first-in-indication option to treat dry eye disease by inhibiting T-cell proliferation and proinflammatory cytokines release. The Company’s development program is rounded out by KIO-201, intended to accelerate ocular wound healing and is in late-stage clinical development.”
Dr. Hollander currently serves as Chief Research & Development Officer of Aerie where he is responsible for overseeing Clinical Development, Research and Discovery, Medical Affairs, as well as Regulatory and Quality functions. Previously he served as the Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President at Ora, Inc., an ophthalmic-specific contract research organization. Dr. Hollander previously spent a decade at Allergan with increasing leadership roles, including Head of EyeCare for Global Medical Affairs, as well as VP and Therapeutic Area Head of Anterior Segment Clinical Development.
"Dr. Hollander provides a unique and immediate practical perspective as a global ophthalmic industry executive and as an ophthalmologist and innovator,” said Brian M. Strem, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Kiora. “We look forward to his contributions and the strategic guidance he brings to the company.”
Throughout most of his career in industry, Dr. Hollander has continued to see patients and teach residents in the operating room and clinic as a practicing ophthalmologist. He is an author on more than 80 peer-reviewed publications, has given more than 100 presentations nationally and internationally, and is listed as a holder on multiple patents. Dr. Hollander began his career at Jules Stein Eye Institute at UCLA, where he completed a fellowship in cornea, external-ocular disease and refractive surgery, and served as Assistant Chief of Ophthalmology at the Greater Los Angeles VA Medical Center. Dr. Hollander holds an MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, an MBA from the Wharton School and a BS in chemistry from Stanford University.
About Kiora
Kiora is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing and commercializing products for treating ophthalmic diseases. KIO-301 is a molecular photoswitch that has the potential to restore light perception in patients with inherited and/or age-related retinal degeneration. KIO-101 is a next-generation, non-steroidal, immuno-modulatory and small molecule inhibitor of Dihydroorotate Dehydrogenase (“DHODH”) with best-in-class picomolar potency and a validated immune modulating mechanism (blocks T cell proliferation and proinflammatory cytokine release) designed to overcome the off-target side effects and safety issues associated with other DHODH inhibitors. In addition, Kiora is developing KIO-201, a modified form of the natural polymer hyaluronic acid, designed to accelerate corneal wound healing. For more information, please visit www.kiorapharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements in this press release are “forward-looking” and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These “forward-looking” statements include statements relating to, among other things, the development and commercialization efforts and other regulatory or marketing approval efforts pertaining to Kiora’s products, including KIO-101, KIO-201 and KIO-301, as well as the success thereof, with such approvals or success may not be obtained or achieved on a timely basis or at all. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause results to differ materially from the statements set forth in this press release, including, among other things, market and other conditions and certain risk factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in Kiora’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 25, 2021 or described in Kiora’s other public filings. Kiora’s results may also be affected by factors of which Kiora is not currently aware. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. Kiora expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to such statements to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any changes in the events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.
Contact
Francina Agosti, PhD
(617) 546-0742
kiora@reportablenews.com
Cover |
Dec. 13, 2021 |
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Cover [Abstract] | |
Document Type | 8-K |
Amendment Flag | false |
Document Period End Date | Dec. 13, 2021 |
Entity File Number | 001-36672 |
Entity Registrant Name | KIORA PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. |
Entity Central Index Key | 0001372514 |
Entity Tax Identification Number | 98-0443284 |
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code | DE |
Entity Address, Address Line One | 1371 East 2100 South |
Entity Address, Address Line Two | Suite 200 |
Entity Address, City or Town | Salt Lake City |
Entity Address, State or Province | UT |
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code | 84105 |
City Area Code | 781 |
Local Phone Number | 788-9043 |
Written Communications | false |
Soliciting Material | false |
Pre-commencement Tender Offer | false |
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer | false |
Title of 12(b) Security | Common Stock, $0.01 par value |
Trading Symbol | KPRX |
Security Exchange Name | NASDAQ |
Entity Emerging Growth Company | false |
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