Flowonix Medical Appoints CEO

Flowonix Medical Inc. has appointed Larry Heaton as president and CEO effective May 9. He will also serve on the company’s Board of Directors.  
 
Heaton brings more than 34 years of experience in the medical device industry to Flowonix, with an extensive focus on commercialization in both large cap and early stage medical device companies in his career. Former President and CEO Steve Adler will remain on the Flowonix board. 
 
“It is with great pleasure that the board and Flowonix welcome as experienced and commercialization-oriented leader as Larry Heaton as our new chief executive officer,” said David Jenkins, founder and board chairman of Flowonix. “Larry has a track record of rapidly understanding and realizing the potential of emerging medical technologies. With growing momentum behind the launch of the Prometra implantable drug delivery pump in the U.S. and Europe, we look forward to his contributions as Flowonix focuses on commercialization during its next stage of growth and development.”
 
Most recently, Heaton was president, CEO and director of Cardiox Corporation, a privately held company that developed and marketed drug-device combination products for the structural heart and liver diagnostics markets, joining the company as its first employee.
 
Previously, he served as president, CEO, and board chairman of ViOptix Inc., a privately held company in the tissue oximetry field. Prior to that, Heaton served as president, CEO and director of Curon Medical Inc., a public company marketing products for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Before joining Curon, he was president, CEO and director of Response Genetics Inc., an applied genomics start-up firm (now public) providing gene expression services in the oncology market.
 
“The Prometra pump represents a significant advancement in implantable drug delivery devices, bringing a level of safety and precision delivery of critical drugs needed for pain management not available in the market today,” said Heaton. “With its capability to deliver precise doses as required, it also enables programmable delivery of additional drugs for new clinical indications where precision in dosage delivery is of the essence. The recently announced collaboration with Cerebral Therapeutics is the first example of this new area of opportunity for Flowonix, its customers and the patients they serve. My goal is to see the Prometra implantable drug delivery system emerge as the leading implantable device used for pain management and play the leading role in developing synergies between effective drugs and precise localized delivery. I look forward to working with the talented and dedicated team at Flowonix to make this a reality.”
 
Heaton’s earlier career spanned 18 years at United States Surgical Corporation, a manufacturer of wound closure products and advanced surgical devices with annual sales exceeding $1 billion. Serving in roles of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing and general management, Heaton’s career culminated in him serving as president and chief operating officer of United States Surgical and its various subsidiary companies from 1998 through 2000.
 
Heaton has had seven U.S. patents issued to date, with 15 additional patents pending related to enhancements of products designed to facilitate their effective commercialization. He has served as a member of the board of several international medical societies and foundations, including the MITAC Board for the commercialization of NASA technology via partnerships with the medical industry.
 
Headquartered in Mt. Olive, N.J., Flowonix develops chronic pain treatment technologies that allow patients to reclaim their lives through therapeutic advancements. Founded in 2005, Flowonix Medical received approval to conduct its first clinical trial in 2007 on the Prometra programmable implantable pump. The company received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market the Prometra in 2012.