EndoGastric Solutions Expands Executive Leadership Team

EndoGastric Solutions Inc. has welcomed two new members to its executive leadership team, appointing Brett Reynolds as chief financial officer (CFO), and Sarah Lyon as vice president of Healthcare Economics, Reimbursement, and Policy. The addition of these executive team members will support the scale of the company’s next growth and geographic expansion phase.
 
“I am pleased to welcome Mr. Reynolds and Ms. Lyon to our executive team,” EndoGastric Solutions President/CEO Darin Hammers said. “Their expertise and experience will be invaluable as we continue to change the standard of care for GERD treatment. I am confident they will provide strong leadership assistance and be an excellent addition to the EGS team.”
 
Reynolds joins EndoGastric Solutions from Resonetics, where he served as CFO, driving financial strategy and performance since 2019. He brings an extensive background in profitability and cash flow enhancement, financial planning and analysis, revenue growth, mergers and acquisitions, financial systems, fundraising, strategic planning, and board and investor relations. Before Resonetics, Reynolds was CFO at Cogentix Medical and Synovis Life Technologies. He is a certified public accountant (inactive) and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MBA in finance, both from the University of Minnesota. He has more than 25 years of experience. 
 
Lyon’s has more than 15 years of experience in leadership roles within the medical device industry. Most recently, she was vice president, Market Access and Strategic Marketing for Respicardia, a company with a sleep medicine neurostimulation therapy that was acquired by ZOLL Medical. Before joining ZOLL Respicardia, Lyon spent 10 years at Medtronic driving new therapy commercialization in various leadership roles. She brings expertise in new technology commercialization, reimbursement and health economics, payer advocacy and pathway development. She also brings strategy consulting and financial services experience with a focus on healthcare M&A and commercial strategy. Lyon earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics from St. Olaf College and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business.
 
Lyon will work closely with the executive leadership team to improve patient access to the Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF) procedure by expanding payer coverage. The TIF 2.0 procedure enables an incisionless approach to fundoplication in which a device is inserted through the mouth, down the esophagus and into the upper portion of the stomach. This approach offers patients looking for an alternative to traditional surgery an effective treatment option to correct the underlying cause of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Based on clinical studies, most patients stopped using daily medications to control their symptoms and had their esophageal inflammation (esophagitis) eliminated up to five years after the TIF 2.0 procedure. Additionally, clinical results have demonstrated that concomitant laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair (LHHR) immediately followed by TIF 2.0 procedure is safe and effective in patients requiring repair of both anatomical defects.
 
More than 25,000 TIF procedures have been performed worldwide and over 140 peer-reviewed papers have documented the sustained improved clinical outcomes and exemplary safety profile the TIF procedure provides to patients suffering from GERD. 
 
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common gastrointestinal disease that affects nearly 20% of the U.S. population. It 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 (U.S.), GERD is the most common gastrointestinal-related diagnosis physicians make during clinical visits. Some patients may have mild or moderate symptoms of GERD, while others have more severe manifestations causing chronic heartburn, asthma, chronic cough, and hoarse voice or chest pain. Left untreated, GERD can develop into a pre-cancerous condition called Barrett’s esophagus, which is a precursor for esophageal cancer. The first treatment recommendation for patients with GERD is to make lifestyle changes (e.g., diet, scheduled eating times and sleeping positions). Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) medications are commonly used to treat GERD, but there are a variety of health complications associated with long-term dependency on PPIs, and more than 10 million Americans are refractory to PPI therapy and may opt for surgery.

The EsophyX technology is used to reconstruct the gastroesophageal valve (GEV) and restore its function as a barrier, preventing stomach acids from refluxing back into the esophagus. The device is inserted through the patient’s mouth with direct visual guidance from an endoscope, and enables creation of a 3 cm, 270-degree esophagogastric fundoplication. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the original EsophyX device in 2007. The evolving technology, including the latest iteration EsophyX Z+, launched in 2017, enables surgeons and gastroenterologists to use a wide selection of endoscopes to treat the underlying anatomical cause of GERD.
 
Based in Redmond, Wash., EndoGastric Solutions Inc. develops and commercializes evidence-based, incisionless surgical technology for treating GERD. EGS has combined advanced concepts in gastroenterology and surgery to develop products and procedures to treat gastrointestinal diseases, including the TIF 2.0 procedure—a minimally invasive solution that addresses a significant unmet clinical need.