For Immediate Release
Date: July 3, 2012
Contact: Ashwin Pushpala (408) 483-6518
Former VP of ArthroCare Corp. ENT Division to lead commercialization of SinuSys’ proprietary osmotic dilation technology
Palo Alto, CA – SinuSys Corporation, a sinus health company, announced today the appointment of Kevin Tausend as Vice President, Sales and Marketing. SinuSys’ recent financing has enabled the Company to build out its executive team and initiate commercialization planning while it completes its First in Man (FIM) clinical study and regulatory submissions.
“Kevin Tausend has a demonstrated track record of driving market adoption, building revenue, and enhancing profitability for ground-breaking surgical device businesses,” said Thomas Schreck, Chief Executive Officer of SinuSys. “His strategic insight, broad tactical expertise, and in-depth understanding of the otolaryngology market will serve as a great resource for our Company.”
Mr. Tausend has nearly 20 years of experience in medical device product management and market development. He most recently served as Vice President of Marketing for ArthroCare ENT, where he fulfilled a leadership role in driving 20% average annual revenue growth (to nearly $100M globally over five years) on the strength of Coblation® applications for otolaryngology. He was a core member of the marketing team at LASIK innovator VISX Inc. (later acquired by Advanced Medical Optics, now Abbo] Medical Optics), where he was a major contributor to that company’s game-changing development of the US LASIK market and its resultant revenue of over $250M annually. At the start of his career, Mr. Tausend transitioned from engineering into product marketing and sales management for Heraeus Surgical GmbH (later acquired by Laserscope Inc., now part of AMS/Endo Health Solutions), where he drove revenue growth of that company’s surgical laser business via expansion of distribution in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Mr. Tausend holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rochester and an MBA from Santa Clara University.
“I’m excited to join the SinuSys team and to lead the Company’s successful commercialization of their proprietary osmotic dilation technology,” said Mr. Tausend. “I believe the simplicity and performance of this plaeorm will significantly advance the treatment of chronic sinusitis and provide substantial benefits to both otolaryngologists and their patients.”
About Sinusitis
Chronic sinusitis affects more than 31 million people in the United States. It is more prevalent than heart disease and asthma and has a greater impact on patients’ quality of life than chronic back pain or congestive heart failure. The majority of patients with chronic sinusitis are treated with oral antibiotics and/or nasal steroids, which can increase the risk of antibiotic resistance and cause unwanted side effects such as epistaxis (nose bleeds), nasal ulcers, and nasal and oral infections. The most effective treatments are Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery (FESS) and balloon dilation at high pressures, which are known to cause significant patient discomfort and are conducted in a surgical suite under general anesthesia or IV sedation. The United States healthcare system currently spends more than $8 billion annually on improving the health of patients with sinus conditions.
About SinuSys
SinuSys, Inc. (www.sinusys.com) is a medical device company focused on developing new therapies to improve the sinus health of patients with chronic sinusitis. The company’s initial focus is a self-expanding medical device inserted at the ostium of the maxillary sinus, which restores functional sinus drainage and ventilation without causing patient discomfort. The insert does not require external hardware or physician training to support expansion, and can be placed in an office-based setting, mitigating the need for general anesthesia and invasive sinus surgery and minimizing patient recovery time. The insert utilizes SinuSys’ proprietary osmotic dilation technology to enable an effective out-patient procedure that can be performed by Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) physicians with minimal additional training.