This episode of RBC Pathfinders in Biopharma explores how next-generation retinal gene therapies could transform treatment for patients with wet AMD and diabetic macular edema. CCBO of 4D Molecular Therapeutics, Chris Simms, discusses the promise of reducing the burden of frequent injections through long-lasting therapies designed to preserve vision for years. The conversation also examines the firm’s commercial opportunity, global roll-out ambitions, and why sustained retinal care could reshape the future of retina.

4DMT targets global retina market with long-lasting genetic treatment

Pathfinders in Biopharma

# Full Transcript

**Podcast:** Pathfinders in Biopharma

## Transcript

Welcome back to Pathfinders, a podcast series from RBC Capital Markets where we explore the fast-moving world of biotech and pharma. I'm your host, Joe Colletti. We're on location at RBC's Global Healthcare Conference in New York, and today I'm speaking with Chris Sims, Chief Commercial and Business Officer at 4D Molecular Therapeutics.

4D is advancing next-generation AAV genetic medicines for retinal diseases, including wet AMD and diabetic macular edema. As the company moves through Phase 3 and prepares for potential commercialization, Chris brings a commercial perspective on how innovation reaches patients, physicians, and markets. Chris, welcome to the podcast. It's great to be here, Joe. Good morning. Chris, I want to start by talking about your background in ophthalmology and retina.

What brought you to 4D at this stage of the company's growth? So I have been in commercial leadership roles in ophthalmology and more specifically in the retina side of ophthalmology for nearly 14 years now. Years ago, I worked on a leading anti-VEGF brand called Lucentis that was marketed by Genentech Roche. I also then spent time following Genentech at Novartis. I launched a drug called BeagleView in the U.S.

Following that, I made a departure from large pharma and spent time in a smaller biotech called Iberic Bio, where we had a Phase 3 asset at the time for geographic atrophy. Had the good fortune of launching that medicine for GA patients in the U.S., and we ultimately were acquired by Astellis, which brings me to 4DMT. I joined 4DMT in 2024, so nearly a couple of years ago.

And I was attracted to 4D by the opportunity that I believe to make a paradigm-shifting change for the treatment of retinal diseases. This entire space has great medicines that are highly efficacious, but they're all boldness in nature, and most of the innovation has been incremental extensions and durability. So you take an eight-week medicine, and you extend it out by a couple of weeks from a patient durability perspective.

And 4D has the promise and the potential, we believe, to make a paradigm shift for patients in the treatment burden. So instead of an incremental advancement in durability by a couple of weeks, which has been meaningful, we think we can actually reshape the entire treatment paradigm and potentially bring a treatment to patients that extends durability for months or years for many patients. And so we actually think, for some patients, and we've seen this in our Phase II clinical data,

patients that were getting upwards of 10 injections on average in a year got one injection of 4D, 1.50, and now, you know, years, a couple years later, they are injection-free. So that's exciting. It's paradigm-shifting. And the promise of that was certainly attractive to me to be a part of something that I think could make an indelible dent on this disease and really create a massive benefit for physicians...

4DMT targets global retina market with long-lasting genetic treatment

Transcript

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4DMT targets global retina market with long-lasting genetic treatment

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.