Ortho Kinematics, Inc. announced that Erik Wagner has been appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer.
“The OKI Board of Directors recognized that as the company moves to expand its product offering and market footprint, it needs the experience of a seasoned spine industry executive to usher in the next phase of growth,” said Jerry DeVries, Board Member. “Erik has agreed to help transition the company from a development to a commercial enterprise focused on the launch of the company’s next-generation diagnostic technology.”
Mr. Wagner added, “Ortho Kinematics has the potential to solidify and build on its status as the leader in spine diagnostics. Paul Gunnoe, OKI’s previous CEO, has positioned the company well for success and will be a strategic consultant to the company going forward. We have a tremendous opportunity ahead of us, and I am confident in our ability to accelerate our development and continue to generate value for our shareholders.”
OKI’s core product, the VMA is a diagnostic test for the assessment of spinal motion, instability, and sagittal alignment. Spinal instability and alignment are important considerations for physicians when evaluating candidates for therapies such as surgery and pain management. The VMA has been shown in studies to increase the sensitivity in detecting spinal motion, including instability, with no decrease in specificity relative to the current standard test.
About Erik Wagner
Mr. Wagner has been a co-founder, board member, and held executive management positions in two venture-backed spinal implant companies including Spinal Concepts (1996-2004) and Flexuspine (2007-2014). At Spinal Concepts, he and his partners raised over $40 million in venture capital leading the company to profitability in less than six years on sales exceeding $10 million/month and growing at 70% CAGR. He left Spinal Concepts following the sale of the company to Abbott Labs for $170 million in 2003. His proven record for innovation and leadership continued at Flexuspine where he served as CTO & CEO and led the development and clinical investigation of the world’s first spinal segmental reconstruction device. He is a named inventor on over 80 patents for medical devices ranging from spinal implants to cardiovascular atherectomy devices. He continues to serve as a business consultant and advisor to medical device startups and investor groups.
About Ortho Kinematics
Ortho Kinematics is a privately held diagnostic technology company, focused on spine imaging informatics and committed to the idea that spine motion matters. The company is working with a group of leading clinicians, researchers, and developers who are passionate about leveraging spine biomechanical data to improve the diagnosis and treatment of back pain. Ortho Kinematics is located in Austin, Texas and at www.orthokinematics.com.
