WATERTOWN, Mass., July 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EyePoint, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYPT), a company committed to developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with serious retinal diseases, today announced the appointment of Tarek S. Hassan, M.D., as Senior Vice President, Chief Strategic Science Officer. Dr. Hassan will report directly to Jay S. Duker, M.D., President and CEO of EyePoint, and will serve as a member of the executive leadership team.

A globally recognized retina specialist and key opinion leader with more than 35 years of experience, Dr. Hassan will provide strategic guidance across the Company’s portfolio to optimize development, potential commercialization, and growth opportunities for EyePoint’s pipeline, including its lead program, DURAVYU^™ (vorolanib intravitreal insert).

"We are pleased to welcome Dr. Hassan to the EyePoint leadership team at an important time for the Company, as topline data for our Phase 3 wet age-related macular degeneration trials for DURAVYU are expected in the near future," said Dr. Duker. "Dr. Hassan’s extensive clinical development expertise, proven track record in ophthalmology, and deep understanding of the therapeutic innovation required to meaningfully improve the treatment paradigm for serious retinal diseases will strengthen our strategic decision-making as we advance DURAVYU, evaluate future growth opportunities, and build long-term value for patients and shareholders."

Dr. Hassan is currently Professor of Ophthalmology at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and a Senior Partner at Associated Retinal Consultants in Royal Oak, Michigan. He has held leadership roles across several major global retinal organizations, including serving as Past President of the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), the Foundation of the ASRS, the Retina World Congress (RWC), which he co-founded, and the Retina Hall of Fame. Throughout his career, Dr. Hassan has participated in more than 180 multicenter clinical trials, authored more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, and delivered more than 860 scientific presentations nationally and internationally. He has been named to Best Doctors in America every year since 2000 and was an inaugural inductee of the Retina Hall of Fame.

Dr. Hassan earned his B.S. with Highest Distinction in Biology, his B.S. in Psychology, and his M.D. from the University of Michigan before completing his ophthalmology residency at the University of Michigan’s W.K. Kellogg Eye Center. He completed his fellowship in vitreoretinal disease and surgery at Associated Retinal Consultants within William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan.

"As a practicing retina specialist and drug development executive, I continually see the burden that frequent intravitreal injections place on patients, their families, and the physicians who care for them," said Dr. Hassan. "Throughout my career, I have focused on advancing innovations that meaningfully improve both vision outcomes and the treatment experience for patients, and I believe DURAVYU has the potential to become a foundational therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema. I am excited to join Jay and the talented EyePoint team at this pivotal moment in the Company’s evolution, and I look forward to helping shape the strategy that may bring DURAVYU to the patients who need it and the retina specialists who treat them."

Inducement Grants under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4)

In connection with the hiring of Dr. Hassan, the Compensation Committee of EyePoint’s Board of Directors granted stock options to purchase an aggregate of 100,000 shares of common stock as an inducement award material to Dr. Hassan entering into employment with the Company in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The stock options will have an exercise price equal to the closing price of EyePoint's common stock on July 13, 2026, and will vest as follows: 25% on the first anniversary and monthly through the fourth anniversary of the date of grant, subject to the terms of grant.

About EyePoint

EyePoint, Inc. (NASDAQ:EYPT) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics to improve the lives of patients with serious retinal diseases. The Company’s lead product candidate, DURAVYU^™, is an innovative investigational sustained delivery treatment for serious retinal diseases combining vorolanib, a selective and patent-protected tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in next-generation bioerodible Durasert E^™ technology. Supported by robust safety and efficacy data across multiple clinical trials and indications, DURAVYU is currently being evaluated in Phase 3 pivotal trials for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Topline data is expected for wet AMD beginning in mid-2026.

The Company is committed to partnering with the retina community to improve patient lives while creating long-term value, with four approved drugs over three decades and tens of thousands of eyes treated with EyePoint innovation.

EyePoint is headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, with a commercial manufacturing facility in Northbridge, Massachusetts.

Vorolanib is licensed to EyePoint exclusively by Equinox Sciences, a Betta Pharmaceuticals affiliate, for the localized treatment of all ophthalmic diseases outside of China, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

DURAVYU^™ has been conditionally accepted by the FDA as the proprietary name for EYP-1901. DURAVYU is an investigational product; it has not been approved by the FDA. FDA approval and the timeline for potential approval is uncertain.

Forward Looking Statements

EYEPOINT SAFE HARBOR STATEMENTS UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION ACT OF 1995: To the extent any statements made in this press release deal with information that is not historical, these are forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our expectations regarding our clinical development and regulatory plans; our belief that DURAVYU^™ is well-positioned to be the first-to-market among all investigational sustained release treatments for the two largest retinal disease markets, wet AMD and DME; our belief that DURAVYU is the only TKI in development for DME; our belief that DURAVYU is uniquely positioned to potentially address both VEGF-mediated vascular leakage and IL-6 mediated inflammatory drivers of DME as a sustained delivery therapy; our belief that DURAVYU’s potential real-world application in multiple retinal disease indications and established trial designs position DURAVYU for clinical and commercial success; our expectations regarding the timing of the availability and release of wet AMD and DME clinical data; our financial position and expected cash runway; our belief that DURAVYU has the potential to maintain a majority of patients with active disease with no supplemental anti-VEGF therapy for six months or longer; our beliefs regarding the potential market opportunity for DURAVYU in wet AMD and DME; our ability to continue to scale operations at our commercial manufacturing facility in Northbridge, Massachusetts; our expectations that our manufacturing facility will continue to meet FDA and EMA standards and support commercialization efforts of DURAVYU upon regulatory approval; and our expectations regarding the timing and clinical development of our other product candidates; and other statements regarding the Company’s future plans, objectives, strategies and beliefs, as identified by words such as "will," "potential," "could," "can," "believe," "intends," "continue," "plans," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "may," or other words of similar meaning or the use of future dates.

Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Uncertainties and risks may cause EyePoint’s actual results to be materially different than those expressed in or implied by EyePoint’s forward-looking statements. For EyePoint, these risks and uncertainties include the timing, progress and results of the Company’s clinical development activities; uncertainties and delays relating to communications with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the ability to obtain regulatory approval from FDA for the commercialization of DURAVYU; unanticipated costs and expenses; the Company’s cash and cash equivalents may not be sufficient to support its operating plan for as long as anticipated; the risk that results of clinical trials may not be predictive of future results, and interim and preliminary data are subject to further analysis and may change as more data becomes available; unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during clinical trials; uncertainties related to the regulatory authorization or approval process, and available development and regulatory pathways for approval of the Company’s product candidates; changes in the regulatory environment; disruptions at the FDA; changes in U.S. and international trade policies; changes in expected or existing competition; the success of current and future license agreements; our dependence on contract research organizations, and other outside vendors and service providers; product liability; the impact of general business and economic conditions; protection of our intellectual property and avoiding intellectual property infringement; retention of key personnel; delays, interruptions or failures in the manufacture and supply of our product candidates, including due to unanticipated regulatory compliance issues or warning letters relating to the Company’s manufacturing facilities; the availability of and the need for additional financing; our ability to obtain additional funding to support our clinical development programs; our ability to enter into a settlement agreement and corporate integrity agreement with the government regarding the DOJ investigation and uncertainties related to the impact such agreements would have on our business, financial condition and operations; uncertainties regarding the FDA warning letter pertaining to the Company’s Watertown, MA manufacturing facility; and other factors described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We cannot guarantee that the results and other expectations expressed, anticipated or implied in any forward-looking statement will be realized. A variety of factors, including these risks, could cause our actual results and other expectations to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed, anticipated or implied in our forward-looking statements. Should known or unknown risks materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, actual results could differ materially from past results and those anticipated, estimated or projected in the forward-looking statements. You should bear this in mind as you consider any forward-looking statements. A more complete discussion of the risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are described under the heading "Risk Factors" in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and in our future reports to be filed with the SEC, which are available at www.sec.gov. Our forward-looking statements speak only as of the dates on which they are made. EyePoint undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Investors:

Tanner Kaufman / Jenni Lu

FTI Consulting

tanner.kaufman@fticonsulting.com / jenni.lu@fticonsulting.com

Media:

Helen O’Gorman

FTI Consulting

helen.ogorman@fticonsulting.com