Executive Team

Dr. Weber has broad experience in business and healthcare product development, including over a decade as the chief executive officer of companies developing locally delivered therapeutics. Prior to joining Otonomy, Dr. Weber was CEO of MacuSight, a developer of a sustained delivery formulation of sirolimus for the treatment of severe ocular diseases. In this role, he successfully assembled a management team of proven executives, secured venture financing, licensed product rights in Asia in a deal with $50 million in upfront payments, and rapidly advanced the program into pivotal Phase 2 clinical trials.

Before his work with MacuSight, Dr. Weber served as CEO and executive vice president of Oculex Pharmaceuticals, leading the company until its successful acquisition by Allergan in 2003 for $230 million. During his tenure, he oversaw the development of Posurdex (Ozurdex®), a proprietary, biodegradable, sustained-release ocular implant which has since received regulatory approval in the U.S. and abroad.

Dr. Weber has also held senior management positions with Oral-B Laboratories and The Procter & Gamble Company.   In addition to Otonomy, he currently sits on the board of directors of On Demand Therapeutics and Sytera Therapeutics, two development stage companies focused on the treatment of serious retinal diseases. Dr. Weber received his Ph.D. in medical microbiology from Creighton University and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in biological sciences from Wichita State University.

Mr. Cayer brings more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, medical device and healthcare technology field to his roles as Otonomy’s chief business officer and chief financial officer.  He was a founding member of Otonomy’s management team and is responsible for the company’s corporate development, partnering, commercial assessment and financial activities.

Before joining Otonomy, Mr. Cayer served as senior vice president, corporate development for Verus Pharmaceuticals, a venture-backed specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of allergic and respiratory disorders in children. During his time with the company, Verus raised over $150M from top-tier venture and private capital groups and completed three out-licensing/divestiture transactions with total potential consideration exceeding $350M.

Mr. Cayer joined Verus from Targeted Molecules Corporation (TMC), a venture-backed biopharmaceutical company, where he served as the chief financial officer and senior vice president, business development until the company’s acquisition in 2005. He has also held various management positions with Gensia Pharmaceuticals, Acuson, Castle & Cooke, and served as consultant with Booz-Allen & Hamilton. Mr. Cayer received his MBA and bachelor’s degree in biomechanical engineering from Harvard University.

Dr. LeBel has more than 20 years of pharmaceutical research and development (R&D) experience including significant leadership expertise in critical areas such as product development, preclinical and clinical research and regulatory strategy.  His career has spanned multiple life science companies, including a 14-year tenure with Amgen that was marked by multiple product successes and key clinical trial innovations.    While at Amgen, he guided the successful execution of the registration programs for both Prolia®² and Xgeva™³, while overseeing a large project management staff that supported the company’s entire portfolio of oncology supportive care therapeutics (Aranesp®², Neulasta®²/Neupogen®², Kepivance®⁴, and Nplate®²).  In addition, Dr. LeBel is credited with the design and deployment of an innovative data capture platform that supported Amgen’s efforts in global clinical trial tracking and management.

Since joining Otonomy, Dr. LeBel has spearheaded the company’s R&D activities including the advancement of the OTO-104 and OTO-201 development programs.  As part of this work, he has built a world-class R&D team with vast expertise in the development of preclinical ear disease models, as well as conducting human clinical trials for both inner and middle ear disorders.

Dr. LeBel holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of Detroit, a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences/Toxicology from Northeastern University, and was a NIEHS postdoctoral fellow in Community and Environmental Medicine at the University of California, Irvine.  He is also a Scientific Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, and a full member of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Society of Toxicology.

Mrs. Berejikian possesses more than 20 years of biotechnology and pharmaceutical experience overseeing the critical project management elements associated with advancing a product from the development stage to the commercial market.  Throughout her career, she has overseen the filing and approval of four biologic license applications, as well as two global product launches.  Mrs. Berejikian most recently served as principal of biopharmaceutical consulting at DrugDevPM where she assisted clients in developing and executing successful strategic programs related to regulatory filings, clinical development programs, product launches, positioning and marketing. 

Prior to her work with DrugDevPM, she spent over 15 years with Amgen, Inc., most recently as director of global R&D project management.  In this position Mrs. Berejikian was responsible for leading the operations of a global cross-functional product team to ensure worldwide filing, approval and launch of the novel cancer treatment Kepivance®⁴.  While at Amgen, she also led the operations of the product team responsible for securing global approval and launch of the blockbuster Aranesp®² in the area of oncology.  Mrs. Berejikian earned her Master of Business Administration degree from the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles.