Samsara Vision announced a new internal appointment: Vice President Commercial, International Markets Jason Herod will assume the role of Chief Commercial Officer.
First up: a refresher on this company.
A privately-held specialty medical device company, the U.S.-headquartered Samsara Vision is involved in four key areas of proprietary implantable (intraocular) ophthalmic devices and implantable telescope technologies:
- Research
- Development
- Manufacturing
- Marketing
Its disease focus: Untreatable retinal disorders including late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
And its initial technology?
Samsara’s Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) is an FDA-approved prosthetic device intended for monocular implantation to improve vision in patients aged 65+ diagnosed with bilateral central scotomas associated with late-stage AMD.
See the clinical data supporting the use of this (and similar) tech.
We’ll get to its second-generation technology later …
Now tell me about this new COO.
Herod has been with Samsara since 2021, following a +24-year career in the ophthalmic medical device, pharmaceutical, and over-the-counter (OTC) industry.
His various positions have involved sales, sales management, marketing (country, regional, and global), and general management.
He also previously served as Alcon’s franchise head for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Russia.
So what will his focus be as COO?
The company noted that Herod will be involved in continuing support of the European product rollout for its second-generation intraocular telescope (IOT): the Smaller-Incision New-Generation Implantable Miniature Telescope (SING IMT).
- Plus: He is expected to assist Samsara’s C-suite (executive-level managers) in advancing the availability of the SING IMT across global markets—as well as oversee its ongoing U.S. clinical trial.
About this IOT …
The SING IMT is a Galilean-style telescope designed to improve the visual acuity (VA) and quality of life (QoL) in patients with severe to profound central vision impairment as a result of late-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
As a preloaded device for insertion, the device is implanted during cataract surgery with a corneal incision range of 6.5 mm to 7.5 mm—reducing the incision size by nearly 50%.
Talk about the procedure.
The Tsert-SI preloaded delivery system is equipped with a telescope implant (featuring foldable haptics) that enables it to fit in the injector and be delivered via a smaller incision.
During clinical development: Investigators using the injector system to remove a patient’s cataract and implant the miniature telescope in one eye found it reduced the procedure duration from an estimated “60 minutes to approximately 25 minutes (in routine procedures).”
And its regulatory status?
While the SING IMT has already received a CE mark in the European Union (EU; in 2020), it is currently under clinical investigation in the United States.
Note: Its EU indication is for monocular implantation to improve vision in the eyes of patients 55+ years of age with end-stage AMD.
Now the clinical research.
While Samsara recently reported completing the first SING IMT procedure in China, it previously kicked off the first U.S. surgeries using the device as part of the CONCERTO clinical study in July 2022.
- Note: This is the ongoing study Herod will be overseeing.
Give me some details.
Per the company, the trial is recruiting 100 adult participants (aged 65) with stable (non-active neovascularization) bilateral central scotomas due to late-stage AMD and fovea-involving geographic atrophy (GA).
The setup: Patients receive a SING IMT in one eye, with participation lasting up to 15 months and requiring an estimated seven in-person clinic visits.
- Other criteria: Candidates must not have had previous cataract surgery in the study eye and must agree to postoperative comprehensive visual rehab and training.
Now circle back to Herod and the company.
President and CEO Thomas Ruggia stated that Herod’s leadership at Samsara over the last 3 years has “contributed to our success earning a CE mark and launching the SING IMT in 17 EU countries to date.”
And lastly: When is this new role effective?
Aug. 15.