News
Recent News
06/11/2026
Adial Pharmaceuticals Announces Acquisition of Azora Therapeutics and up to $64 Million Financing
Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADIL) (“Adial” or the “Company”) today announced that it has acquired Azora Therapeutics, Inc. (“Azora”), a biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for serious inflammatory diseases. The acquisition brings Azora’s lead asset AT177, a proprietary colon‑targeted aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist designed to enable localized activation with limited systemic exposure, into Adial’s pipeline. …
06/11/2026
Luna Labs Launches 3 Waves Venture Spinout to Commercialize Advanced Vestibular Stimulation Technology
Luna Labs today announced the launch of 3 Waves, Inc. (“3Waves”), a dual-use spinout company that was established to commercialize advanced virtual and mixed reality technologies for defense, commercial simulation, and medical applications. As part of the spinout, 3Waves and Mayo Clinic executed an exclusive license to support the development of next-generation vestibular stimulation systems …
06/02/2026
TearSolutions Receives FDA Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designations for Lacripep® in Neurotrophic Keratitis and Initiates Phase 2 Clinical Trial with First Patients Dosed
TearSolutions, Inc. (“TearSolutions”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel ophthalmic therapeutics, today announced receiving Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Orphan Drug (ODD) and Fast Track Designations for Lacripep in Neurotrophic Keratitis (NK) and initiating a Phase 2 clinical trial with first patients dosed. The FDA’s ODD provides incentives, including tax credits for clinical testing and …
“Robert is a proven industry leader with extensive and highly relevant experience in Ophthalmology and DED,” said Anil Asrani, President and CEO of TearSolutions. “I am genuinely excited and honored to have Robert join our board, as we work together to bring next generation therapeutics to patients suffering from the maladies associated with ocular surface disease.”
“I’m thrilled to work closely with the TearSoultions team to help advance their programs and take the Company to the next level,” said Robert Dempsey. “With their lead product’s highly differentiated and well-characterized mechanism of action, human clinical data illustrating speed of relief, safety, and a best-in-class tolerability profile, as well as the potential to work in a majority of patients, I believe we have a novel disease-modifying solution that can bring much needed relief to patients as well as their treating physicians.”
Robert brings more than two decades of domestic and global leadership experience in the Ophthalmology space driving successful drug development in public and private sectors through efficient organizational structure and capital investments. His widespread experience in Ophthalmology stems from diverse leadership roles across commercial, business development, medical affairs, and venture-backed startups. Currently, Robert serves as the Chief Executive Officer at AsclepiX Therapeutics focused on advancing an integrin regulating peptide for posterior segment diseases and recently led a successful Series A-3 financing. He joined Asclepix in 2021, after serving as the Chief Executive Officer for TearClear where he accelerated the business and commercial strategies including a successful Series B financing and positive FDA engagements. Prior to that, he served as the Global Head of Ophthalmology at Shire, then Takeda, responsible for one of the top ten largest biopharma M&A deals in 2019, the divestiture of Xiidra® (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution) 5%, to Novartis in June 2019 for up to $5.3B.