OKYO Pharma names Robert Dempsey as CEO

OKYO Pharma Limited (NASDAQ: OKYO) appointed Robert J. Dempsey as chief executive officer, effective immediately, the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company announced. Gary S. Jacob will transition from CEO to chief development officer while continuing to serve on the board of directors.

Dempsey brings over 20 years of global ophthalmology experience in drug development and commercialization. He previously served as group vice president and head of global ophthalmology at Shire before its acquisition by Takeda, where he led the divestiture of Xiidra to Novartis in 2019 for $3.4 billion upfront plus up to $1.9 billion in potential milestone payments.

The executive also has experience with Restasis, another dry eye treatment, and has served as CEO and independent director across multiple ophthalmic companies. He holds master's and bachelor's degrees in business administration from Northeastern University.

"Robert has been directly involved in the commercialization of two of the most successful blockbuster dry eye therapies, Xiidra and Restasis," said Gabriele Cerrone, founder and chairman of OKYO's board of directors.

OKYO develops therapies for neuropathic corneal pain, a severe ocular condition without FDA-approved treatment, and inflammatory eye diseases. The company's lead asset is urcosimod, which recently showed positive results in a phase 2 trial involving 18 neuropathic corneal pain patients. OKYO plans to start a larger multicenter trial of urcosimod in the first quarter of 2026.

The board of directors unanimously approved the leadership transition. Jacob, who led OKYO for four years, will continue his involvement as chief development officer and board member.

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