OccuRx appoints Dr Gareth Lewis as Chief Commercial Officer

Melbourne, Australia, 20 June 2022: OccuRx, a biotechnology company focused on improving lives by developing innovative precision treatments for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, today announces Dr Gareth Lewis has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer.

Gareth has over 25 years of R&D experience spanning drug and clinical development, portfolio strategy, pre-launch commercialisation, business development and licensing as well as on-market commercial responsibility. Having worked in a range of therapeutic areas, this development and commercialisation expertise includes a range of products and technologies, with broad multinational experience from time working in Australia, USA, Europe and Asia Pacific.

Gareth’s pharmaceutical career started with AstraZeneca in the UK and Sweden, before moving to the Australian biotech sector. After gaining additional experience with generic injectable products at Hospira, he moved to Mayne Pharma, undertaking successive commercial leadership roles with increasing executive responsibilities in Australia and the USA.

Gareth completed a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Bristol in the UK and was awarded a Royal Society Fellowship to undertake postdoctoral research at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.

As the Chief Commercial Officer at Certa Therapeutics, Gareth is responsible for the strategic development and commercialisation of the company’s drug candidate assets as well as leading all Corporate and Business Development activities.

“We are pleased to welcome Dr Gareth Lewis as Chief Commercial Officer for OccuRx. With extensive experience in commercialisation, Dr Lewis’ strategic input as we continue with the development and commercialisation of the company’s drug candidate is timely.” said Professor Darren Kelly, Executive Chair of OccuRx.

OccuRx has designed a platform of candidate drugs and validated the role of a novel receptor which mediates signalling pathways associated with inflammation and fibrosis. These targeted drugs have established proof of concept as potential treatments for multiple fibrotic diseases including serious and chronic conditions impacting the kidney, lung, eye, and skin. The morbidity and mortality impact of fibrotic diseases is substantial, ultimately causing 45% of all deaths globally.

OccuRx is seeking to combine these innovative therapeutics with biomarkers and genetic analysis to identify the most suitable patients for treatment. Significant breakthroughs are urgently needed in this field, addressing a market worth greater than US$15B annually.