Better Health for All

Clearside Biomedical's core business is developing therapies for serious eye diseases like wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and uveitic macular edema (UME).

Its SCS Microinjector technology is described as transformative for the ophthalmic industry, providing targeted drug delivery to improve efficacy and reduce unwanted effects. The company's products, including FDA-approved XIPERE and CLS-AX in development, aim to restore and preserve vision, with CLS-AX showing potential to reduce treatment burden for wet AMD patients. The entire product portfolio is dedicated to health improvement, with no revenue from products with direct negative health impacts. The SCS Microinjector has been used in thousands of patient injections with a positive safety profile, and no cases of endophthalmitis have been reported. The CLS-AX Phase 2b trial showed a well-tolerated safety profile with no ocular serious adverse events, drug or procedure-related systemic SAEs, endophthalmitis, or retinal vasculitis. However, XIPERE lists potential side effects including increased eye pressure, eye pain, and cataract. The company's R&D expenses for the first quarter of 2025 were $4.5 million, a decrease from $5.6 million in the first quarter of 2024. The company provides important safety information and outlines risks in SEC filings. For price accessibility, XIPERE offers a savings program for commercially insured patients to pay as little as a $0 copay and a patient assistance program for those lacking access, but these programs exclude individuals eligible for federal/state programs (Medicare, Medicaid) and residents of California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Rhode Island. The company's clinical trials are randomized, double-masked, parallel-group, active-controlled, and multicenter, implying ethical standards.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

Clearside Biomedical, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for eye diseases.

Its core business does not involve offering lending or deposit services to consumers, managing customer finance data, or providing debt products. Therefore, all KPIs related to financial services, such as underserved client share, pricing fairness, exploitative fee exposure, inclusion initiatives, data accessibility, fair lending compliance, wealth building outcome, profit reinvestment in community finance, financial literacy initiatives, debt burden ratio, geographic inclusion of financial access points, and product simplicity of financial offerings, are not applicable to its business model.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Clearside Biomedical, Inc. has 32 employees.

A consulting agreement, effective February 17, 2023, designates Dr. Thomas Ciulla as an independent contractor, explicitly stating he is not entitled to any employee benefits. This means at least one individual out of a total workforce of 33 (32 employees plus 1 consultant) is on an insecure contract without benefits, representing approximately 3.03% of the workforce.

Honest & Fair Business

The company has reported no regulatory fines, violations, or certifications within the past three years.

It has a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, dated March 15, 2023, which includes an anonymous compliance hotline and website for reporting concerns, and states that the Audit Committee is responsible for supervising and overseeing investigations. However, there is no evidence of the policy's training frequency, uptake rates, or specific resolution times for reports. The Code of Business Conduct and Ethics also states an expectation to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but there is no information on the frequency or effectiveness of training for this policy, nor specific guidance for international or high-risk markets.

Kind to Animals

Clearside Biomedical conducts preclinical studies in animals, including rabbits and non-human primates, for novel therapeutic agents and gene therapy.

These animal tests are described as a required step for drug approval, with no mention of alternative testing methods being employed. The company's policy implies the use of animal studies to assess safety and efficacy, with no explicit statement of a formal policy, commitment to reduction, or a ban on non-essential testing. Preclinical animal studies were presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2019 Annual Meeting. While the company uses animals in testing, specifically rabbits and non-human primates, no specific annual volume is provided. The company mentions collaborations with an academic center and gene therapy companies, but it is not specified whether these involve animal-free research methods. There is no explicit information on the percentage of the R&D budget invested in developing animal-free technologies.

Respect for Cultures & Communities

The provided articles focus on Clearside Biomedical's biopharmaceutical business, research pipeline, and FDA approvals.

No specific data or information related to community engagement, cultural impact assessments, local employment ratios, grievance mechanisms, or any other metrics relevant to the 'Respect for Cultures & Communities' value were found. Therefore, no KPIs can be scored based on the evidence provided.

Safe & Smart Tech

The company's privacy policy, effective November 3, 2021, provides contact information for privacy concerns via email and phone.

However, the company's site does not currently respond to "Do Not Track" or similar signals. The company holds ISO 13485:2016 certification for its quality management system, effective from October 23, 2024, to October 22, 2027. It also demonstrates compliance with various medical device regulations across Australia, Brazil, Canada, the United States (21 CFR 820, 803, 806, 807), and Japan. The Audit Committee Charter, updated April 15, 2024, mandates periodic review and discussion with the Senior Director of Information Technology regarding material risks related to data privacy, technology, and information security, including cybersecurity threats and backup systems.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

The company expects employees to comply with all applicable environmental laws, including those pertaining to hazardous substances, to prevent contamination and legal liability.

A Compliance Officer is responsible for overseeing adherence to the Code of Conduct, and employees can report suspected or actual violations through a compliance hotline, website, or mail.