Scott Hunter.

CUMBERLAND, R.I.—Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biotech company, announced the expansion of its executive team with the appointment of Scott Hunter as chief commercial officer bringing two decades of eyecare experience across both rare disease and specialty markets. "Scott’s appointment as the company’s first chief commercial officer marks an important milestone for Neurotech. Scott will be instrumental in helping us develop the commercial strategy and establish our commercial infrastructure,” said Richard Small, CEO of Neurotech.

“His proven success of bringing products to market that address unmet needs is a perfect fit with our vision and culture, which is dedicated to slowing disease progression while helping patients maintain vision and quality of life.”

“I am extremely excited to join the Neurotech team and build the commercial organization” stated Hunter. “Starting with the science behind NT-501, I believe Neurotech can drastically change the management of sight-threatening retinal conditions such as MacTel.”

 
Hunter joins Neurotech with a demonstrated track record in global rare and specialty eyecare experience. He most recently worked at Novartis where he was the global marketing head for Luxturna, responsible for advancing the global strategy for the first commercially approved ocular gene therapy. Before Novartis, Scott was at Shire, where he was instrumental in the build-out of the U.S. ophthalmics franchise and launch of Xiidra, culminating in the divestiture to Novartis for up to $5.3 billion.

Prior to that, he spent 12 years at Bausch + Lomb, where he held roles of increasing responsibility across research and development (R&D) and marketing. Hunter earned his M.S. in Pharmacoeconomics from the University of Florida and his M.B.A. from the University of Tampa after completing his B.S. in Biology at the University of South Florida.

Macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel), or idiopathic juxtafoveal macular telangiectasia type 2, is a rare neurodegenerative disease with characteristic alterations of the retinal vasculature and localized retinal degeneration. MacTel typically affects both eyes and causes a gradual deterioration in central vision.

Designed to be implanted into the vitreous cavity of the eye, the investigational NT-501 implant is a tiny hollow cylindrical membrane which encapsulates human epithelial cells genetically engineered to produce ciliary neurotropic factor (CNTF) continuously, a protein now clinically validated in Phase 3 clinical trials to slow the progression of MacTel.

Encapsulated Cell Therapy (ECT) is an investigational first-in-class, platform technology that promotes continuous production of therapeutic proteins to the eye with the potential to treat a broad array of ocular diseases. It utilizes a proprietary, well-characterized retinal pigment epithelial cell line that has been genetically engineered to produce therapeutically active biologics.

Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a private clinical stage biotech company focused on developing transformative therapies for chronic eye diseases. The core platform technology, ECT, enables continuous production of therapeutic proteins to the eye. Neurotech is currently studying in the clinic ECT candidates to treat Macular telangiectasia type 2 and glaucoma.