Aerie Pharmaceuticals Names Craig R. Skenes as Vice President, Business Development

Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AERI), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class glaucoma therapies, today announced that Craig R. Skenes has been named to the newly established position of Vice President, Business Development at Aerie, reporting directly to Vicente Anido, Jr., Ph.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Skenes has more than two decades of experience in the healthcare industry, having held senior business development leadership positions within ophthalmology and biopharma firms. He will be responsible for managing Aerie’s business development activities as the Company continues to progress its lead product candidates through advanced-stage clinical development. His appointment at Aerie is effective immediately.

Most recently, Mr. Skenes served as Senior Director, Business Development at Santen Pharmaceuticals, a global pharmaceutical company specializing in ophthalmology and rheumatology. During his tenure, he played a lead role in securing several corporate and product transactions, including with Akorn, Inc. and Tracon Pharmaceuticals, as recent examples. Prior to this, Mr. Skenes was Director, Business Development at ophthalmology company ISTA Pharmaceuticals, where he was responsible for executing license agreements at all stages of development, and managing collaborations with ISTA’s international partners. Previously, he held business development positions at Gilead Sciences and Watson Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Skenes received his B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from California State University at Fullerton.

“Craig’s extensive business development expertise, particularly in ophthalmology, will be a great asset for us as we chart the next stage in Aerie’s growth and our strategic partnering options,” said Dr. Anido. “Our lead product candidates, Rhopressa™, entering Phase 3 testing, and Roclatan™, completing Phase 2b, are highly differentiated therapies, and we believe we have the opportunity to generate substantial interest for these products among potential collaborators.”

“This is an opportune time to join Aerie in a business development role. I believe Aerie has a highly accomplished and dynamic leadership team and promising product candidates addressing clear and substantial market needs,” said Mr. Skenes. “I look forward to contributing to Aerie’s efforts and further expanding the Company’s profile within the ophthalmology sector.”

About Aerie Pharmaceuticals

Aerie is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of first-in-class glaucoma therapies. The Company is preparing for two Phase 3 registration trials in the U.S. where the primary efficacy endpoint will be to demonstrate non-inferiority of IOP lowering for Rhopressa™ (dosed once daily and twice daily) compared to timolol (dosed twice daily), along with a third safety-only trial in Canada. The Company is also currently executing a Phase 2b clinical trial where the primary efficacy endpoint is to demonstrate superiority of Roclatan™ to each of its components.

Forward-Looking Statements

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