Glaukos CEO Joins Avedro’s Board of Directors

Avedro Inc., an ophthalmic pharmaceutical and medical device company and leader in corneal remodeling, announced that Thomas W. Burns has been elected to its Board of Directors.
 
Burns has a proven track record of building successful medical device and pharmaceutical businesses and creating successful new markets in ophthalmology. Burns is president, CEO and a member of the Board of Directors at Glaukos Corporation, an ophthalmic medical technology company that pioneered the Micro-Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) clinical and commercial class to transform the treatment of glaucoma. In his 16 years at Glaukos, Burns has led the company from a small startup to the completion of an initial public offering in June 2015 and beyond.

“Tom’s broad leadership experience in ophthalmology, specifically growing Glaukos from a small startup to a successful public company, will be of great value to Avedro, and we are pleased to welcome him as an independent board member,” said Reza Zadno, Ph.D., CEO of Avedro. “We look forward to leveraging Tom’s expertise as we continue to develop innovative products that improve the corneal health, visual acuity and quality of life of patients around the world.”
 
Burns has more than 25 years of direct ophthalmic management experience, including over 20 years of general management experience across a broad range of ophthalmic medical devices, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, drug delivery technologies, and surgical products. Over his career, he has raised nearly $400 million in private offerings and in the public markets. Prior to Glaukos, Burns led Eyetech Pharmaceuticals (acquired by OSI Pharmaceuticals) as president, chief operating officer and as a director. He is currently chairman of Dose Medical Inc.
 
“Since FDA approval in 2016, the company has demonstrated excellent progress in securing insurance coverage for cross-linking and advancing its next generation epi-on product candidate in a Phase 3 trial,” said Burns. “I am delighted to be joining Avedro’s Board of Directors at this exciting time and look forward to contributing to this company’s growth.”
 
Avedro’s patented cross-linking technology, consisting of drug formulations and medical devices, are approved for sale in numerous countries around the globe. The company continues to develop proprietary corneal remodeling products for the treatment of keratoconus, corneal ectasia and for refractive correction as an alternative to contacts and eyeglasses. Keratoconus and corneal ectasia are rare and sight-threatening eye conditions in which the cornea progressively thins and weakens causing the development of a cone-like bulge and optical irregularity of the cornea which can result in significant visual impairment.