Palo Alto, CA, September 17, 2018 – Kodiak Sciences Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company specializing in novel therapeutics to treat high prevalence ophthalmic diseases, today announced the appointment of Jason S. Ehrlich, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Chief Development Officer. Dr. Ehrlich joins other recent key additions to Kodiak’s leadership team: Almas Qudrat, M.Sc., Vice President, Quality Operations, and J. Pablo Velazquez-Martin, M.D., Vice President, Clinical Research and Translational Medicine.
Prior to joining Kodiak, Dr. Ehrlich served as Global Head, Clinical Ophthalmology at Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. In roles of increasing responsibility at Genentech/Roche from 2008-2018, Dr. Ehrlich was lead clinician for Lucentis in diabetic eye disease resulting in the first-ever FDA approval of an intraocular drug for diabetic macular edema. He then led efforts to expand Lucentis labeling into all forms of diabetic retinopathy, into choroidal neovascularization due to pathologic myopia, and the FDA approval of the Lucentis pre-filled syringe. Dr. Ehrlich guided the integration of the ophthalmic drug delivery company ForSIGHT VISION4 into Genentech/Roche after its acquisition, including oversight of the successful Phase II study of the ranibizumab Port Delivery System. He led the global development of lampalizumab, including design and execution of the pivotal Phase III program that included over 1,800 patients, over 275 sites, and more than 20 countries. He guided the successful transition to global Phase III development of faricimab, a novel bispecific antibody for retinal vascular disease. Dr. Ehrlich completed his Ophthalmology residency at Stanford University School of Medicine, earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford through the NIH-funded Medical Scientist Training Program, and received his A.B. in Molecular Biology summa cum laude from Princeton University.
Ms. Qudrat has more than 25 years of experience in managing and directing quality activities for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Her experience spans all stages of drug development from first in human to commercial products. She has been responsible for small molecules, biologics, tablets, capsules, pre-filled syringes, vials, and combination products via intravenous, subcutaneous, intravitreal, inhalable, as well as transdermal routes of administration. Ms. Qudrat led the pre-approval inspections that brought Botox (Allergan), Myoblock (Elan), and Exubera (Nektar-Pfizer) to the market and supported, prepared, and contributed to multiple pre-approval activities for other products including the Lucentis pre-filled syringe (Roche/Genentech). Before joining Kodiak, Ms. Qudrat held positions of increasing responsibility at Abbott, Baxter, Elan, Allergan, Nektar, Avidia, Amgen, Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Roche/Genentech. Ms. Qudrat earned masters degrees in both microbiology and biology from Brock University in Ontario, Canada.
Dr. Velazquez-Martin is an ophthalmologist and retina specialist. Previously, Dr Velazquez-Martin was head of ophthalmology global medical affairs for Bayer in Europe, Canada, and Latin America with a focus on Bayer’s ex-U.S. Eylea franchise. His emphasis was on scientific differentiation of Eylea with phase 3 and phase 4 clinical studies design, interpretation and communication. Dr. Velazquez-Martin earned his M.D. from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Upon completion of a residency in ophthalmology and obtaining an ophthalmology surgeon certification, he completed a two-year fellowship in retina surgery, followed by an ocular oncology fellowship at the University of Toronto. During his tenure at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, he led the ophthalmic evaluation of patients in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials of novel cancer agents.
About Kodiak Sciences Inc.
Kodiak Sciences is a clinical stage company developing innovative therapeutics to treat chronic, high prevalence ophthalmic diseases.
Kodiak Contact:
John Borgeson
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Tel (650) 281-0850
media@kodiak.com