EndoGastric Solutions Expands Commercial Leadership Team

EndoGastric Solutions Inc. (EGS), a developer of incisionless procedural therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), has added two senior executives to its leadership team: Martin Reid, vice president of sales, and Ted Stephens, vice president of marketing and professional education.
 
In their respective roles, Reid and Stephens will focus on meeting increased commercial demand of the Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF) 2.0 procedure using EsophyX technology, a minimally-invasive procedure for the treatment of GERD. An estimated one in five Americans suffer from GERD, or weekly heartburn and/or regurgitation.¹
 
“With EndoGastric Solutions on a path of rapid growth, the addition of these highly experienced commercial leaders is a critical component of our ongoing commercial strategy,” said Skip Baldino, president and CEO of EndoGastric Solutions. “Both Ted and Martin bring a deep understanding of the health care industry and are committed to making the TIF procedure a core component of physicians’ treatment approach to GERD patients across the country and abroad.”
 
With more than 25 years of experience in health care, Reid has held a variety of positions in sales, leadership and business development throughout his career. He most recently served as area vice president at Olympus Corporation of the Americas. Prior to that, Reid has served as national sales manager at Johnson & Johnson, Sedasys; director of sales at Xenex Disinfection Services; regional sales manager at Given Imaging (acquired by Medtronic GI Solutions); president of his own medical device consulting practice, Reid Agency; national sales manager at NeoPath Inc.; and regional sales manager at Boston Scientific Corporation. He began his career with Johnson & Johnson in the Ethicon division after graduating from Whitworth University with a bachelor of arts degree in business management.
 
Stephens brings over 20 years of diverse commercial leadership across global markets in the medical device industry, with extensive knowledge in both minimally-invasive surgery and therapeutic gastrointestinal markets. Stephens most recently served as director of marketing for NOVADAQ Technologies. Prior to that he was the vice president of global marketing at Apollo Endosurgery where he led a global team to develop and execute marketing strategies for a portfolio of surgical and therapeutic GI products. He also spent 16 years at Ethicon Endo-Surgery with various positions in engineering, sales, sales leadership and marketing. Stephens earned his master’s degree in business administration from Xavier University and a bachelor of science degree in engineering from Michigan State University.
 
CPT codes are a listing of descriptive terms and identifying codes for reporting medical services and procedures. The purpose of CPT is to provide a uniform language that accurately describes medical, surgical, and diagnostic services. The coding serves as an effective way to provide communication among healthcare providers, patients and third parties. CPT is registered trademark of the American Medical Association.
 
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a chronic condition in which the gastroesophageal valve (GEV) allows gastric contents to reflux (wash backwards) into the esophagus, causing heartburn and possible injury to the esophageal lining. In the United States, GERD is the most common gastrointestinal-related diagnosis physicians make during clinical visits. Pain and discomfort from acid reflux impact more than 80 million Americans at least once a month according to estimates. The first treatment recommendations for GERD patients is to make lifestyle changes (e.g., diet, scheduled eating times and sleeping positions). Patients are instructed to take prescription medications; unfortunately, it is a common practice to increase medication doses and, over time, become dependent on these medications to control symptoms. A variety of other health complications are linked to the long-term, maximum-dose usage of prescription medications.
 
Performed without the need for external incisions through the skin, the TIF procedure offers patients who require an anatomical repair an effective treatment option to correct the underlying cause of GERD. Most patients stopped using daily medications to control symptoms and had their esophageal inflammation (esophagitis) eliminated up to three years after the TIF procedure based on studies. There are more than 20,000 TIF patients treated worldwide since the EsophyX device launched. In the past ten years, over 60 centers published more than 80 peer-reviewed papers. These studies document consistent outcomes on over 1,300 unique study patients.
 
The EsophyX technology is used to reconstruct the gastroesophageal valve (GEV) and restore its function as a barrier, preventing stomach acids refluxing back into the esophagus. The device is inserted through the patient’s mouth with direct visual guidance from an endoscope. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the original EsophyX device in 2007. EndoGastric Solutions launched the third generation EsophyX device, the EsophyX Z model, in 2015. The evolving EsophyX technology now enables surgeons and gastroenterologists to use a wider selection of endoscopes to treat the underlying anatomical cause of GERD. These options include low profile and larger high-definition models.
 
Based in Redmond, Wash., EndoGastric Solutions develops and commercializes evidence-based, incisionless surgical technology for the treatment of GERD. EGS has combined the most advanced concepts in gastroenterology and surgery to develop the Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF) 2.0 procedure—a minimally invasive solution that addresses a significant unmet clinical need.
 
Reference
1. El-Serag H. Update on the epidemiology of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a systematic review. Gut. 2014 June; 63(6): 871–880.