Industry Insider News

Organogenesis Names New CCO, COO

Organogenesis Inc., a commercial leader in the field of regenerative medicine with a portfolio of advanced and next-generation bioactive and acellular biomaterials products in the advanced wound care and surgical biologics markets, has appointed Brian Grow and Patrick Bilbo, to chief commercial officer (CCO) and chief operating officer (COO), respectively.

"Both Patrick and Brian have shown tremendous leadership at Organogenesis over the years, and we are proud to welcome them to these key positions," said Gary S. Gillheeney, Sr., president and chief executive officer of Organogenesis. "Both gentlemen bring decades of combined experience in regenerative medicine and advanced wound care, and have contributed greatly to Organogenesis' success. Their guidance and expertise will help us as we expand into new markets."

As CCO, Grow will oversee sales and marketing for the company, leading the wound care sales forces, as well as the planned expansion of Organogenesis' product portfolio into the burn and surgical markets. Grow previously served as director of commercial operations for Organogenesis and has been with the company since 2004. He has more than 15 years of experience in the regenerative medicine, tissue-engineering, and advanced wound care markets. A founding member of the company’s original sales team for Apligraf,^® a cell-based product with approximately one million patient applications to date, Grow has since held various leadership positions with the company in sales, sales management, and marketing, and was instrumental in the launch of the PuraPly™ and PuraPly™ Antimicrobial product lines. PuraPly Antimicrobial was recently named one of the "Top 10 Innovations in Podiatry" by Today’s Wound Clinic’s sister publication Podiatry Today for the product's impact on reducing bioburden in wounds.

"I'm honored to lead this dynamic and talented commercial team, and look forward to helping the company expand in the years ahead," Grow said.

As COO, Bilbo will oversee daily operations and execution of business strategy across departments, including the expansion of Organogenesis' leading product portfolio and manufacturing operations to support the company's planned growth. Bilbo previously served as senior vice president of regulatory affairs, government relations and administration for Organogenesis, and has been with the company in a variety of roles for more than 20 years. During his time at Organogenesis, Bilbo has focused on successfully overcoming the unique challenges of developing living cell-based and novel collagen biomaterial products for large-scale commercialization and patient use. Bilbo has extensive experience in the medical products industry, with a range of expertise in the commercialization of transformational devices, combination products, and regenerative medicine therapies. Early in the company's founding days, Bilbo worked on the research and product development team that developed the pioneering product Apligraf. He then advanced in various leadership positions in the company, including product development, clinical research, regulatory affairs, and government relations. Bilbo also led the successful development of the company's novel PuraPly and PuraPly Antimicrobial product lines.

"This is an exciting time – both for Organogenesis and for the future of advanced wound care and regenerative medicine," Bilbo said. "I'm thrilled to serve in this expanded capacity and look forward to helping the company capitalize on our leading cell, biomaterial, and allograft therapies, as well as expanding our regenerative wound healing and surgical product portfolio to serve clinicians and patients with unmet medical needs."

Wound Care Advantage Appoints New CNO

Christina Le, BSN, RN, WCC, has been named chief nursing officer (CNO) at Wound Care Advantage (WCA), an outpatient wound care management program based in Sierra Madre, CA. In her new role, Le will be responsible for all nursing, quality, and patient safety programs for WCA, according to company officials. Since joining WCA in 2009, Le has steadily increased her leadership roles and responsibilities, most recently serving as vice president of clinician development. Previously, she served as WCA’s director of clinical operations and served as the clinical lead for the wound care program at USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, Glendale, CA.

“Christina’s clinical skills, positive energy and can-do attitude impresses anyone who works with her, and she fully embodies the character that our company represents,” said Mike Comer, chief executive officer of WCA. “She’s an outstanding leader, has a tremendous and infectious passion for nursing, and is the ideal CNO to help continue our mission of providing the best patient-centered care in the industry.”

A native of southern California and a certified wound care nurse, Le holds her BSN from West Coast University and has served for many years as a preceptor for nurses pursuing their own wound care credentials.

“From the very beginning, Wound Care Advantage supported my passion for nursing and paved the way for me to have an incredibly rewarding career,” Le said. “I’ve never worked with a more skilled, professional, and compassionate team of people. I look forward to leading and mentoring our wound care nurses as we continue to grow.” 

New Law to Improve Wound Care for Patients in PA?

Officials at a recently held panel discussion in Whitehall Township, PA, believe the AARP CARE Act has the potential to improve healthcare services, including wound care, for the 1.65 million elderly residents throughout the state. According to a report by Lehigh Valley Business, key opinion leaders at the discussion, which was hosted by the Lehigh Valley Aging in Place coalition, provided data and information on caregiving in the region and expressed belief that the Care Act, which took effect April, 20, would play a role in how caregivers provide services to their loved ones after hospital discharge.

An acronym for caregiver, advise, record and enable, the CARE Act seeks to educate people on how to prevent situations where patients would need to be readmitted to the hospital. In a statistical analysis in 2009, caregivers provided an estimated $450 billion of unpaid care to patients in the state, according to the report, which also cites a study of long-term services and support systems that found caregivers make up 1.65 million people in Pennsylvania. The medical and nursing tasks undertaken by caregivers are increasing, according to the report. In a 2015 study, 78% of caregivers said they manage medications while 43% help with assistive devices for mobility, such as canes or walkers, and 35% provide wound care (eg, bandages, ointments, prescription drugs, treating pressure sores and/or post-surgical wounds) and ostomy care. The CARE Act seeks to help involve family caregivers, or whoever is assigned, from a patient’s hospital admission to discharge. The law also provides the patient the opportunity to designate his or her caregiver, and it ensures that hospitals include the caregiver in discharge planning and provides necessary training for patients once they go home.

Acera Surgical Selects Company to Develop, Manage Clinical Trial for Restrata Wound Matrix

Telos Partners LLC, Denver, CO, a firm providing scientific, regulatory, and publication services to the life sciences industry, has been selected by Acera Surgical Inc., St. Louis, MO, to lead its Restrata™ wound matrix study "Clinical Outcomes After Treatment With Restrata in Diabetic Foot Ulcers: A Case Series of Initial Effectiveness and Safety Measures," according to officials. Restrata is described as a next generation, fully synthetic wound matrix that received clearance by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration for wound indications in April.

At least five U.S.-based clinical sites will be included in the trial, officials said. All patients will reportedly receive Restrata after enrollment, followed by weekly visits to assess the extent and quality of healing. A confirmation visit will be used to ensure durable wound closure has been observed. Reimbursement-related data will also be collected, which may be used for future coding and coverage decision-making. Acera plans to use the trial data for publication and presentation of clinicians' early experience as part of its comprehensive wide-market launch strategy, officials said. In addition, the trial data will be used to inform the hypotheses of a future randomized controlled trial.   

"As a fine-tuned material, Restrata is designed to match the architecture of native extracellular matrix," said Joel Batts of Telos Partners LLC. "As a fully-synthetic material, it also has the potential to improve the health economics over existing treatment options. Telos Partners is privileged to partner with the Acera team in characterizing wound healing after Restrata application. We look forward to the future presentation of high-quality evidence in diabetic wound patients from this clinical trial."