Bausch and Lomb appoints surgical division head

Bausch and Lomb has announced the appointment of John Barr as the global president of its surgical business division.

Mr Barr joins the company from his previous role of president and chief executive officer of AGA Medical, during which he helped to double the company's sales and expand its global presence prior to its acquisition by St Jude Medical.

Previous employers include VI Technologies and Baxter Healthcare, for whom he served in a variety of key leadership roles.

In his new position at Bausch and Lomb, Mr Barr will oversee the company's full suite of ophthalmic surgical products, intraocular lenses and delivery systems, including brands such as enVista Crystalens, Stellaris PC, Storz and Victus.

Brent Saunders, chief executive officer for Bausch and Lomb, said: "The combination of John's deep experience in global operations and strategy, customer focus and collaborative approach to doing business make him the ideal choice to further accelerate the momentum of our surgical business."

Earlier this month, the company published data from a clinical study of its new loteprednol etabonate gel formulation, showing its safety and efficacy for the treatment of ocular inflammation after cataract surgery.