Clearside Biomedical Names Charles Deignan Chief Financial Officer

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clearside Biomedical Inc., an ophthalmic pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing targeted therapeutics for the treatment of sight-threatening diseases, announced today that Charles Deignan has been named to the position of Chief Financial Officer. Deignan will report to Daniel White, President and CEO.

“Charlie’s vast experience and knowledge in managing the financial responsibilities and growth of globally recognized biotech companies will be an invaluable asset to us and will be a very important part of the leadership team we are building at Clearside Biomedical”

Deignan has 24 years of experience in healthcare finance at public and private companies, serving 20 years in financial management. He has facilitated the successful initial public offerings of two healthcare companies and participated in multiple equity and debt financings totaling more than $500 million. He also was a member of the negotiating team that closed a major partnership agreement with a leading pharmaceutical company, resulting in more than $100 million in funding.

“Charlie’s vast experience and knowledge in managing the financial responsibilities and growth of globally recognized biotech companies will be an invaluable asset to us and will be a very important part of the leadership team we are building at Clearside Biomedical,” said White.

Deignan has held financial management positions at several health care companies, including AtheroGenics Inc., AAIPharma and Schering-Plough. Deignan’s responsibilities play an important role as Clearside initiates its series B funding raising process in the fourth quarter of 2012.

Deignan graduated from Boston University with a degree in business administration.

About Clearside Biomedical

Clearside Biomedical, based in Atlanta, is a clinical-stage ophthalmic pharmaceutical company developing and commercializing targeted therapeutics for the treatment of sight-threatening diseases. Clearside treats the pathological changes to the blood retinal barrier that lead to retinal blindness by delivering therapeutics through the suprachoroidal space using a proprietary microinjection dosage form. Clearside Biomedical was founded by an executive team with extensive development and revenue growth expertise focused on improving the delivery and performance of therapeutic agents to improve the standard of care for patients with retinal and choroidal disease. Visit http://www.clearsidebio.com/ for more information.