AxioMed Spine Corporation Announces the
Appointment of Neal Defibaugh as
Vice President for Clinical and Regulatory Affairs
Garfield Heights, Ohio- December 12, 2006- AxioMed® Spine Corporation (www.axiomed.com), a development stage medical company with innovative spinal implants to restore the native motion of the spine, announces the addition of Neal Defibaugh as Vice President for Clinical and Regulatory affairs. He joins AxioMed during the development of the Freedom™ Lumbar Disc (FLD) System, the next generation of total disc replacement and first implant system in the Company’s pipeline. AxioMed’s goal is to establish clinical and economic value of this pioneering technology through rigorous, well planned clinical studies in the United States and Europe. The Company’s mission is to restore the native function of the spine through its total disc replacement technology for the lumbar and cervical spine.
Mr. Defibaugh joins AxioMed from Smith & Nephew, Inc. Orthopaedic's Division where he served as Director of Clinical Affairs. Mr. Defibaugh has had a formidable career at Smith & Nephew since 1992 through positions of increasing responsibility in clinical and regulatory affairs. He has had direct experience with accomplishment in managing varied orthopedic product’s pathways from clinical investigation through regulatory approval. Prior to Smith & Nephew, Mr. Defibaugh was employed by the University of Tennessee Medical Group in a clinical research capacity.
Pat McBrayer, AxioMed's President and CEO stated, "We are delighted to have Neal join the AxioMed team. After an extensive search, we have been fortunate to recruit a professional with a breadth of experience in orthopedics in both clinical and regulatory affairs. Given AxioMed's current activity in pilot clinical studies leading to the pivotal investigation, Neal joins us at an opportune time."