PolyActiva announced the appointments of Wes Brazell as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Michael Brubaker, PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO).

“Wes and Mike bring exceptional expertise in their respective fields and a shared commitment to innovation and value creation in ophthalmology,” Jerry St. Peter, CEO and Board Director of PolyActiva, said in a company news release. “Their appointments come at an important time as we scale globally and advance our lead product candidate, PA5108, into late-stage clinical development. Alongside Vanessa Waddell’s continued leadership as Chief Strategy Officer, we’re building a highly capable executive team to guide our next phase of growth. These appointments enhance our deep technical foundation in Australia and position us to deliver on our mission to lead in sustained-release ocular therapies and improve patient outcomes.”

Wes Brazell joins as CFO, bringing more than 30 years of leadership across public and private companies in the pharmaceutical and medical device sectors, with expertise in financial strategy, global operations, business development, fundraising, and corporate planning. He previously served as CFO at Xequel Bio, Eyevance Pharmaceuticals, and TearLab Corporation, and he spent over two decades at Alcon, where he led finance functions across regional and global operations.

Michael Brubaker, PhD, CSO, brings over 25 years of R&D leadership across ophthalmic, otic, and respiratory diseases. He most recently served as CSO at Xequel Bio and previously held senior R&D roles at Novartis, where he led global development for Xiidra, as well as Alcon, Bausch & Lomb, and Abbott Laboratories. Mike’s expertise spans drug and device development, regulatory strategy, and portfolio leadership.

These strategic appointments follow PolyActiva’s $25 million (AUD $40 million) Series C financing round and the appointment of Jerry St. Peter as PolyActiva’s CEO.