Entrepreneurship withImpact
I enjoy working in businesses that improve people's lives and deliver profits to owners. Over the past 25+ years, with the help of many great partners, I have built and invested in businesses that advance the status quo, produce cash, and drive new cycles of investment in innovation. I have the mindset of David and do not quit or become dispirited when confronting a challenge - even a Goliath one. I am convinced that profit-making shouldn't happen in a vacuum; the social utility and comparative merit of a business or an asset matter, and failing to evolve and provide things that create meaningful value, eventually and predictably, leads to obsolescence. Through creativity, building great teams, leadership, and “can’t sleep, up-all-night” contribution, I hope to cause more value-generating obsolescence for many years to come.
About Mark
Mr. Baum writes about and actively advocates for patient and physician pharmaceutical accessibility issues, including contributing Op-Eds to the Wall Street Journal, appearing on national and international media outlets, and participating in industry events and other forums, such as the Oxford Union Society.
Mr. Baum was named the 2017 Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year™ in the life sciences category for the San Diego region. Mr. Baum serves on the board of the Ophthalmology Foundation, which collaborates with eye care professionals and professional societies to enhance and provide ophthalmic education, with a focus on low-resource and underserved countries.
Mr. Baum is a graduate, cum laude, of The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) and in May 2017, he was honored to give the College of Liberal Arts commencement address at his alma mater. Mr Baum is a 1997 graduate of California Western School of Law and was formerly licensed to practice law in both California and Texas.
“Throw out your conceited opinions, for it is impossible for a person to begin to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
- Epictetus, Discourses, 2.17.1
2011-2015
Dec. 2011 – Present
Founder, Chairman, and CEO
Harrow, Inc.
Harrow is a leading North American ophthalmic pharmaceutical company, providing patients and their eyecare professionals access to one of the largest portfolios of prescription and OTC eyecare medications.
Apr 2014 – Present
Founder
ImprimisRx, LLC
ImprimisRx is the leading provider of compounded ophthalmic prescription medications in the United States. Serving more than 10,000 ophthalmic professionals and their patients with more than 40 innovative formulations, ImprimisRx products have been used in millions of ophthalmic procedures in the U.S.
Jan 2015 – July 2017
Senior Advisory Consultant
Curology
VC-backed harbinger of dermatology telemedicine; reinventing how skin care health is delivered.
2016-2019
May 2017 – Mar 2021
Founder & Boardmember
Eton Pharmaceuticals
Eton Pharmaceuticals is Nasdaq-listed specialty pharmaceuticals company spun-out of Harrow in 2017, which focuses on developing and commercializing orphan and ultra-orphan pharmaceuticals.
Jan 2018 – Present
Founder & Chairman of the Board of Directors
Melt Pharmaceuticals
Melt Pharmaceuticals is a privately-held pharmaceutical company dedicated to preventing the way patients are sedated for out-patient and office-based procedural interventions. Melt is focused on seeking FDA approval for MELT-300, a sedation drug candidate, that, if approved, may reduce the need for opioids and IVs during various surgical procedures, including cataract surgery.
2020-2025
Jan 2020 – May 2020
Fellow
Nashville Health Care Council
Launched in 2013, Council Fellows is a five-month intensive program that uses a customized curriculum for health care’s most influential leaders to take on the most pressing issues and shape the future of the industry. The Fellow’s curriculum addresses topics such as health care policy, consumerism, transparency, virtual care and home and rural care delivery solutions. The class also participates in immersion exercises to gain a deeper appreciation for the issues that patients, providers and operators face.
Aug 2024 – Present
Board Member
The Ophthalmology Foundation works with eye care professionals, societies, and organizations to enhance and provide ophthalmic education, with a special focus on low-resource and underserved countries. We commit to strengthening ophthalmic education, with the ultimate goal of improving eyecare and advancing the preservation and restoration of vision for all.
Companies Founded
Exemplar Writings
Media Apperances
Oxford Union Debating Society
Mr. Baum was invited to the prestigious Oxford Union to debate James Greenwood, former U.S. Congressman and head of BIO, the largest international pharmaceutical lobbying group. Mr. Baum’s presentation in favor of the proposition, Big Pharma Prioritizes Profits Over Patients, won by one of the largest margins in the Oxford Union's nearly 200-year history.
Advocating for Change
Mr. Baum worked with Grammy-award-winning singer and former U.S. Ambassador of Health (appointed in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan), the legendary Dionne Warwick, to advocate for federal policy changes to support patient and physician access to affordable medications.