Exclusive Interview Released from Santen for Ophthalmic Drugs 2018
SMi are delighted to have interviewed our speaker Naj Sharif, Executive Director and Head, Global Alliances & External Research, Santen regarding his thoughts and experiences within the ophthalmology space.
Naj Sharif, PhD, FARVO, FBPhS was educated and trained in England at Southampton University with a Joint Honors in Biochemistry and Physiology as well as a PhD in Neuroscience. He has has over 32 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, including leadership positions in discovery research, drug development and regulatory affairs at Pfizer, Syntex (Roche), Alcon-Novartis and Santen.
His 22-tenure at Alcon resulted in his contributions to the discovery and development and US FDA approvals of Travatan, Patanol, Simbrinza, and Pazeo to treat glaucoma/ocular hypertension and ocular allergies. At Santen he has contributed towards the in-licensing and acquisition of InnFocus Microshunt, and to various drug candidates. He is a Fellow of ARVO (FARVO), and of British Pharmacological Society (FBPhS). Dr. Sharif received several awards for ocular pharmaceutical research, and contributions to drug discovery. He serves on the editorial boards of numerous journals; and is an Adjunct Professor at several Universities. He has published more than 210 papers, edited 2 books, and is the holder of 23 issued patents.
Snapshot of Interview:
Q. What are the current trends and challenges in the ophthalmic drugs field?
A. "The current trends and focus within the ophthalmic drug industry is shifting to back of the eye diseases including glaucomatous optic neuropathy. With this comes challenges in trying to develop less invasive drugs with sustained delivery to the retina and optic nerve."
Q. What technology has really stood out in the past year?
A. "In the past year, the new technology that has really stood out is the ability to deliver drugs to the target tissue(s) over an extended period of time."
Q. What are the biggest developments in the ophthalmic drug industry, and how does it affect the future of ocular drug development?
Naj who is the Chair for the 2nd annual Ophthalmic Drugs conference, will be presenting: Advancements in the Treatment of Glaucoma and Retinoprotection.
For those looking to attend, there is currently a £200 early-bird saving, ending September 28th.
Download the 2018 agenda online and see the full speaker line-up and presentations, as well as the attendee list from last year at: www.ophthalmicdrugs.com/phpr
SMi Presents the 2nd Annual:
Ophthalmic Drugs 2018
Date: 26th – 27th November 2018
Workshops: 28th November 2018
Location: Copthorne Tara Hotel, London UK
Website: www.ophthalmicdrugs.com/phpr
Sponsors: Experimentica | Nemera
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Contact Information:
For all media inquiries contact Pavan Solanki on Tel: +44 (0)20 7827 6048 / Email: psolanki@smi-online.co.uk
About SMi Group:
Established since 1993, the SMi Group is a global event-production company that specializes in Business-to-Business Conferences, Workshops, Masterclasses and online Communities. We create and deliver events in the Defence, Security, Energy, Utilities, Finance and Pharmaceutical industries. We pride ourselves on having access to the world's most forward-thinking opinion leaders and visionaries, allowing us to bring our communities together to Learn, Engage, Share and Network. More information can be found at http://www.smi-online.co.uk
