MONMOUTH, NJ--(Marketwire - 01/07/10) - TYRX, Inc., a leader in the commercialization of implantable medical-pharmaceutical devices, today announced that it has appointed Robert S. White as President and Chief Executive Officer.
Mr. White brings to TYRX over 20 years of senior management experience in the medical technology industry through numerous positions of increasing responsibility with Medtronic Inc., Instromedix-LifeWatch, ALARIS Medical Systems, Eli Lilly, and General Electric. Most recently, Mr. White served as President of Medtronic Kyphon following the $3.9 billion acquisition of the spinal treatment business. During his time with Medtronic, Mr. White also served as President of Physio Control and was responsible for commercial operations for Medtronic Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management as Vice President of U.S. Sales and Global Marketing.
Mr. White began his career with General Electric. In 1989 he joined Eli Lilly and through successive promotional opportunities became the International Marketing Manager for IVAC based in Europe for 3 years. At ALARIS Medical Systems, a $400 million medical device company, his last role was as Vice President, Corporate Development. At Instromedix-LifeWatch, which specializes in selling non-invasive cardiac monitoring solutions, he served as President and CEO. Mr. White holds an MBA from Cornell University and a BS degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.
“Bob brings to TYRX a unique blend of management skills and commercial experience that will contribute greatly to the ongoing commercialization of the AIGISRX(TM) Anti-Bacterial Envelope in the implantable medical device market as well as the continuing development and FDA clearance of our pipeline products,” remarked Jeff Leiden, MD, PhD, Managing Director of Clarus Ventures and TYRX Board of Director Chairman.
Jeff Leiden also commented, “I want to thank Bill Edelman, the outgoing President and CEO, for his vision and dedication in moving TYRX from a start-up R& D company to where it is today. Through Bill’s efforts, the Company successfully received FDA clearance on three innovative medical device products, achieved ISO certification for the Company, and successfully launched the AIGISRX(TM) product line.”
Mr. White remarked, “I am excited to join TYRX. This as a tremendous opportunity, in light of the increasing awareness and impact of surgery acquired infections related to device implants. Thousands of patients are already benefiting from the AIGISRX(TM) product line and I look forward to building on this momentum and capitalizing on a very rich product development pipeline.”
About TYRX, Inc.
TYRX, Inc., an ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 13485:2003 certified medical device manufacturer, commercializes implantable combination drug/device products, including the AIGISRX(TM) Anti-Bacterial Envelope. AIGISRX(TM) contains the antimicrobial agents, rifampin and minocycline, which have been shown to reduce infection by organisms representing a majority of the infections reported in cardiac rhythm device related endocarditis, including “superbugs” or MRSA. In addition, AIGISRX(TM) is intended to securely hold a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) in order to create a stable environment when implanted in the body. Following commercial release in June, 2008, AIGISRX(TM) has been implanted in over 6,000 patients nationwide. In February, 2008 TYRX raised $25 million in a venture capital financing led by Clarus Ventures and co-led by Pappas Ventures. TYRX products utilize novel biomaterials, including technology licensed exclusively from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Additionally, TYRX has exclusively licensed from Baylor College of Medicine and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center product patents and associated technologies to address the problem of postsurgical nosocomial infection. TYRX is deploying its capabilities across a broad range of combination implantable medical-pharmaceutical devices. The combination products sector (products incorporating both a drug & a device component) is expected to be the highest growth segment of the medical products industry and TYRX is positioned to be an innovative applications leader in the space.
For more information, please visit www.TYRX.com.
