AxoGen Appoints Ivica Ducic Medical Director
Peripheral Nerve Surgery Expert Brings More Than 15 Years of Clinical Experience to AxoGen
ALACHUA, Fla., Jan. 05, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AxoGen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AXGN), a global leader in innovative surgical solutions for peripheral nerve injuries, today announced the appointment of Ivica (Ivan) Ducic, M.D., Ph.D. as Medical Director of Clinical and Translational Sciences. Dr. Ducic will be responsible for AxoGen's global medical affairs programs as a non-officer member of the leadership team.
“The addition of Dr. Ducic to our Clinical and Translational Sciences team will enhance our efforts to provide world class surgeon education, meaningful clinical evidence on our product portfolios, and continued innovation in peripheral nerve repair technology,” commented Karen Zaderej, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Dr. Ducic is a renowned and experienced peripheral nerve surgeon who shares our mission to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from peripheral nerve injuries.”
Dr. Ducic is a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon with additional training and expertise in peripheral nerve surgery. He received his medical degree in 1991 from the University of Zagreb School of Medicine (Croatia, Europe), and a Ph.D. degree in 1995 in Neuroscience. Upon completing plastic surgery training at Georgetown University Hospital in 2002, he entered a one-year peripheral nerve surgery fellowship. He then joined the full-time faculty practice at Georgetown University Hospital Department of Plastic Surgery in August 2003, where he served as the Professor of Plastic Surgery and Neurosurgery and he is the Founder/Director of their Peripheral Nerve Surgery Institute. Dr. Ducic established his own practice in 2014, the Washington Nerve Institute in McLean, VA, where he continues to practice today. Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Ducic is the past president of American Society for Peripheral Nerve. He has also served on many committees, served as journal editor for peripheral nerve focused research, published over 90 peer-reviewed papers, authored 15 book chapters, and has been a prolific educator both nationally and internationally on the diagnosis and treatment of peripheral nerve injury.
“AxoGen is a proven global leader in peripheral nerve repair. I am excited to work with them to increase awareness of the clinical problems associated with peripheral nerve injury, educate surgeons on best practices for diagnosis and management of those injuries, and continue to build an innovative pipeline of solutions for peripheral nerve injuries,” said Dr. Ducic. “I am confident that Karen and the AxoGen team are moving the organization in a positive direction that will continue to have a significant impact on the lives of patients with nerve injuries.”
About AxoGen, Inc.
AxoGen Inc. (AXGN) is a global leader in innovative surgical solutions for peripheral nerve injuries. AxoGen’s portfolio of products includes Avance® Nerve Graft, an off-the-shelf processed human nerve allograft for bridging severed nerves without the comorbidities associated with a second surgical site, AxoGuard® Nerve Connector, a porcine submucosa extracellular matrix (ECM) coaptation aid for tensionless repair of severed nerves, AxoGuard® Nerve Protector, a porcine submucosa ECM product used to wrap and protect injured peripheral nerves and reinforce the nerve reconstruction while preventing soft tissue attachments and Avive™ Soft Tissue Membrane, a minimally processed human umbilical cord membrane that may be used as a soft tissue covering to reduce inflammation and scar tissue formation. Along with these core surgical products, AxoGen also offers AxoTouch™ Two-Point Discriminator and AcroVal™ Neurosensory & Motor Testing System. These evaluation and measurement tools assist health care professionals in detecting changes in sensation, assessing return of sensory, grip and pinch function, evaluating effective treatment interventions, and providing feedback to patients on nerve function. The AxoGen portfolio of products is available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several European and international countries.
Cautionary Statements Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This Press Release contains "forward-looking" statements as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on management's current expectations or predictions of future conditions, events or results based on various assumptions and management's estimates of trends and economic factors in the markets in which we are active, as well as our business plans. Words such as "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believes", "seeks", "estimates", "projects", "forecasts", "continue", "may", "should", "will" variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding our growth, our 2016 and 2017 guidance, product development, product potential, financial performance, sales growth, product adoption, market awareness of our products, data validation, our visibility at and sponsorship of conferences and educational events. The forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, which may cause results to differ materially from those set forth in the statements. Forward-looking statements in this release should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect AxoGen's business and its market, particularly those discussed in the risk factors and cautionary statements in AxoGen's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results may differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements are representative only as of the date they are made, and, except as required by law, AxoGen assumes no responsibility to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact: AxoGen, Inc. Peter J. Mariani, Chief Financial Officer 386.462.6856 InvestorRelations@AxoGenInc.com The Trout Group – Investor Relations Brian Korb 646.378.2923 bkorb@troutgroup.com
Released January 5, 2017