RALEIGH, N.C., July 25, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cohera Medical, Inc., a leading innovator and developer of absorbable surgical adhesives and sealants, announced today the appointment of Paul Thomas as a member of its Board of Directors.
“We are honored to welcome Paul Thomas to our Board of Directors at Cohera Medical. Paul brings a depth and breadth of experience from the emerging medical device space that will prove invaluable as Cohera enters the next stage of growth,” said Patrick Daly, President and CEO of Cohera Medical, Inc. “As we execute our U.S. commercial launch of TissuGlu® Surgical Adhesive, and initiate U.S. clinical trials for our key pipeline product, Sylys® Surgical Sealant, the Company will benefit greatly from his experience and guidance.”
“Paul is a proven industry leader with extensive strategic and operational expertise that will support Cohera Medical’s success as it continues to bring new and innovative products to the market,” said Ali Satvat, Member of KKR and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Cohera Medical. “We are thrilled to have Paul join our team.”
Mr. Thomas currently serves as CEO and Founder of Roka Bioscience, a company focused on the development and commercialization of molecular assays for biopharmaceutical processing, food safety and other industrial testing applications. Mr. Thomas previously served as Chairman, CEO and President of LifeCell Corporation, a publicly traded regenerative medicine company, from 1998 until it was acquired by KCI in 2008.
Prior to joining LifeCell, Mr. Thomas held various senior positions during his tenure of 15 years with Ohmeda, a world leader in inhalation anesthetics and acute care pharmaceuticals. Currently, Mr. Thomas serves as a Director of AbioMed, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABMD), Aegerion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:AEGR) and RTI Surgical®.
Mr. Thomas received his M.B.A. degree from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and completed his postgraduate studies in Chemistry at the University of Georgia Graduate School of Arts and Science. He received his B.S. degree in Chemistry from St. Michael’s College in Vermont.
About Cohera Medical
Cohera Medical, Inc. is a growing medical device company that is developing and commercializing a line of surgical adhesives and sealants. Cohera Medical’s products are based on a unique chemical design that is resorbable, non-toxic, and easy-to-use. The Company’s lead product, TissuGlu® Surgical Adhesive, is indicated for use in the U.S. for the approximation of tissue planes in abdominoplasty procedures. Refer to the complete Directions for Use information available at TissuGlu.com for a full description of use information including the contraindications, warnings, precautions, benefits, and risks of use of TissuGlu® Surgical Adhesive. TissuGlu is currently approved for sale in the EU for the approximation of tissue layers where subcutaneous dead space exists between the tissue planes in large flap surgical procedures such as abdominoplasty and is being utilized in Europe to eliminate drains or reduce complications in patients undergoing large flap surgical procedures such as abdominoplasty, mastectomy, ventral hernia repair, decubitus and latissimus dorsi flap procedures. The Company’s second product under development, Sylys® Surgical Sealant, the first synthetic sealant designed specifically to help reduce anastomotic leaks, has received CE Mark approval in Europe as an adjunct to standard closure in ileostomy reversal procedures. TissuGlu and Sylys are the first products in a pipeline of technology that includes adhesives for surgical mesh fixation, meniscal repair and other orthopedic indications. Sylys and the other Cohera Medical products are currently available for investigational use only and have not yet been approved for sale by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S.
Certain statements made throughout this press release that are not historical facts contain forward-looking statements regarding the Company’s future plans, objectives and expected performance. Any such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable, but are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties and, therefore, there can be no assurance that actual results may not differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
©2016 Cohera Medical, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Cohera Medical, Inc.®, TissuGlu® and Sylys® are registered trademarks of Cohera Medical, Inc.
TissuGlu® Surgical Adhesive is covered by one or more of the following U.S. Patents 7,264,823; 8,182,647; 8,652,293; 8,950,629. Other Patents Pending.