Musculoskeletal Clinical Regulatory Advisers, LLC Names Doug Plunkett As Director, Small Bone & Joint Clinical Affairs

NEW YORK, Oct. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Doug Plunkett has joined Musculoskeletal Clinical Regulatory Advisors, LLC (MCRA) as Director of Small Bone & Joint Clinical Affairs.

Prior to joining MCRA, Mr. Plunkett was Vice President of Product Development and then Vice President of Global Arthroplasty Systems at Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBI), a leading supplier of small bone and joint orthopedic devices.

Prior to joining SBI, he was Vice President and General Manager of Avanta Orthopaedics, Inc., where he oversaw Operations, Sales, Marketing and QA/Regulatory Affairs. In 2004, he managed the transition process associated with the sale of Avanta to Viscogliosi Brothers, LLC to form one of the foundation companies of SBI. At Avanta and SBI, Mr. Plunkett was responsible for numerous arthroplasty and trauma Premarket Notifications, as well as several Investigational Device Exemptions, post-market approval studies and the administration of devices marketed under Humanitarian Device Exemptions.

Mr. Plunkett said: "I am both excited and honored to be joining MCRA in a role where I can apply my technical and marketing background to help improve patient outcomes, while increasing the value of our client firms. MCRA is building a strong team with a well-defined, customer-focused mission, with the potential for significant growth."

Mr. Plunkett has worked in the medical device industry for more than 13 years with extensive experience in manufacturing and associated systems. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin. He is also an adjunct faculty member of the University Of Wisconsin Management Institute where he is a frequent lecturer.

Marc R. Viscogliosi, President of MCRA, said, "Doug's experience in the small bone and joint market, especially arthroplasty, makes him a key member of the MCRA team, serving this sector's clinical and regulatory needs.

"Also, having served as the General Manager of an orthopedic company, Doug has a comprehensive perspective on the factors influencing both speed to market and establishing a unique, competitive strategy -- elements critical to adding value in today's marketplace," Mr. Viscogliosi added.

About MCRA, LLC

Musculoskeletal Clinical Regulatory Advisers, LLC (MCRA) is a highly specialized, independently operated consulting firm serving the worldwide orthopedic industry. MCRA is a group of leading strategists committed to executing regulatory, clinical, intellectual property (IP), and reimbursement strategies to move your company to successful value creation. Founded in 2003 by Viscogliosi Brothers, LLC, the firm provides "first-in-class" service to its clients through its superior knowledge base, global surgeon relationships and deeply experienced management team. MCRA places particular emphasis on working with companies at all stages of development, whether they are single- product companies or companies with multiple technologies. The true value of MCRA is the ability to cover the entire lifecycle of a product or technology by taking a product from the conceptual pre-clinical stage to market approval.

About Viscogliosi Brothers, LLC

Established by Marc R. Viscogliosi, John J. Viscogliosi and Anthony G. Viscogliosi in New York City in 1999, VB was the first venture capital/private equity and merchant banking firm dedicated to the musculoskeletal/ orthopedics sector of the health care industry. Today, VB is a leading independent firm with a mission to create, build and finance companies founded on innovations developed by surgeons and uniquely focused on "life changing" musculoskeletal/orthopedic technologies. VB has worldwide surgeon, industry and trade relationships and significant financial expertise in the musculoskeletal/orthopedic sector.

As principals of VB, the Viscogliosi brothers have a combined total of more than 35 years experience analyzing and investing in the musculoskeletal/ orthopedics sector. They have pioneered innovative financial, strategic and management initiatives for companies in the sector, from start-up, seed and development stage all the way to exit, while helping thousands of people lead better lives through the orthopedic and spinal products marketed and sold by the companies they have assisted in developing and financing.

Contacts: Marc R. Viscogliosi William G. Armstrong, Jr. President The Dilenschneider Group (212) 583-0250 ext. 103 (212) 922-0900 mviscogliosi@mcrallc.comwarmstrong@dgi-nyc.com

CONTACT: Marc R. Viscogliosi, President, +1-212-583-0250 ext. 103,mviscogliosi@mcrallc.com, MCRA, LLC; William G. Armstrong, Jr., TheDilenschneider Group, +1-212-922-0900, warmstrong@dgi-nyc.com