McLeer and Ainsworth Move to ChoiceSpine

ChoiceSpine, LP not only acquired Baxano Surgical Inc.’s Veo Lateral Access & Interbody Fusion System in early February, but the company also acquired Steve Ainsworth, Ph.D. Ainsworth was TranS1’s third employee and served as the company’s vice president of Research and Development throughout the Baxano acquisition. He will serve ChoiceSpine in the same capacity.

In a February 25, 2015 press release, ChoiceSpine also announced the hiring of Tom McLeer as senior executive vice-president. McLeer will serve as an advisor to ChoiceSpine founders Rick Henson and Marty Altshuler, assisting with strategic planning and business development.

McLeer was most recently senior vice president of U.S. Commercial Operations for Alphatec. He had responsibility for U.S. Sales and Marketing, Research and Development, and Biologics. Before Alphatec, McLeer was chief marketing officer and general manager of spinal operations for Pioneer Surgical.

The company said it had double-digit growth in 2014 with the introduction of two new fusion systems and three line extensions. It anticipates growth of 25% in 2015 due to the launch of four new systems to be introduced over the next few months.

In August and September 2014, ChoiceSpine announced FDA 510(k) clearance for its Lancer Pedicle Screw System and the Thunderbolt Minimally Invasive Pedicle Screw System.

Henson and Altshuler started ChoiceSpine in December 2006 in Knoxville, Tennessee. They acquired Orthotec, then, a $40 million dollar company and now hold the exclusive rights for the U.S. market, several patents and six specific spinal conditions. Orthotec is the company to which Alphatec agreed to pay $49 million over the next seven years to settle a lawsuit filed by Orthotec alleging fraudulent transfers of assets of a company that Alphatec had previously acquired.