23 February 2018 - - Durham, North Carolina-based ophthalmic pharmaceutical company Aerie Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AERI) has appointed John LaRocca as general counsel, the company said.
LaRocca will oversee all legal matters for the company. He was previously executive vice president and general counsel at Eagle Pharmaceuticals.
In connection with his acceptance of the position as general counsel, LaRocca will receive awards totaling 70,000 stock options and 18,000 shares of restricted stock.
The stock options will vest over four years, with 25% vesting on the first anniversary of the hire date and the remainder vesting ratably on each of the subsequent 36 monthly anniversaries of the hire date; the restricted stock will vest over a period of 4 years in four equal annual installments on each anniversary of the hire date.
This award was made outside of Aerie's stockholder-approved equity incentive plan and was approved by the company's independent directors as an inducement material to LaRocca.
Aerie is focused on the discovery, development and commercialisation of first-in-class therapies for the treatment of patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension and other diseases of the eye.