In May 2007, the Sunnyvale company received regulatory clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to market its Third Eye Retroscope to doctors, after making a 510K filing, said spokeswoman Angelyn Lowe. Since then, it’s continued other clinical trials to build its “library” of scientific data, she said.
The retroscope is a tiny camera, “smaller than the width of a ballpoint-pen refill,” that allows doctors to see behind folds in the gastrointestinal tract during colonoscopies, giving them a more comprehensive view of potential danger spots, Lowe said. The device can be attached to a standard colonoscope, so it doesn’t require a large investment by specialists, according to Avantis, which is gearing up for growth now that it has FDA approval to market the retroscope.
“We are pleased to announce this new executive leadership team for Avantis,” Fred Seddiqui, the company’s founder, former CEO and chairman, said in an Aug. 25 statement. “Scott was selected for his proven expertise in growing emerging companies and bringing new products to market. He will be instrumental in all factors of our commercialization, through research, manufacturing, and distribution. Larry brings extensive experience in managing growing companies and funding expansions.”
For the last two years, Dodson was president of the orthopedic business for Orthofix Inc. of McKinney, Texas. Prior to that, he was vice president of global marketing for Natick, Mass.-based Boston Scientific’s endoscopy business unit from 2004 to 2006, and earlier he held other roles at Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX).
Tannenbaum, meanwhile, has been involved in “developing, acquiring, and/or selling six companies, raising over $200 million and negotiating transactions up to $400 million,” according to the company.
Most recently, Tannenbaum was senior vice president, chief business officer and CFO at Iridex Corp., a Mountain View-based maker of lasers and other devices to treat eye diseases and skin disorders. Prior to that, he worked in senior management positions for LJL Biosystems, Arthrocare diabetes start-up Metrika (now Bayer Diagnostics), drug manufacturer Sinogen, and Target Therapeutics (now part of Boston Scientific).
