(PRESS RELEASE) WALTHAM, MA — Avedro Inc., a commercial-stage ophthalmic medical technology company focused on treating corneal ecstatic disorders and improving vision to reduce dependency on eyeglasses or contact lenses, announced the appointment of Patrick B. Jacques as vice president of sales, effective immediately.
Reporting to James Schuermann, Avedro’s chief business officer, Jacques will be responsible for directing Avedro’s U.S. sales strategy, building relationships with clinicians and other key partners, and contributing to Avedro’s marketing programs.
Jacques brings more than 20 years of sales and leadership experience across various segments in ophthalmology and optometry to Avedro. Jacques began his career with SPS Medical Supply and held roles of increasing responsibility with Briot/Buchman and Advanced Medical Optics. At Abbott Medical Optics, he managed the sales organization for their refractive laser business in the Western United States. Most recently at AcuFocus, which transacted the KAMRA inlay business to CorneaGen in 2018, he was responsible for the domestic launch of the corneal inlay product for presbyopia and for building the company’s field commercial organization.
“We are pleased to welcome Patrick to Avedro to lead our sales efforts in the United States,” said Reza Zadno, PhD, president and CEO of Avedro. “Patrick is a seasoned sales leader with a track record of successfully driving adoption of new ophthalmic technologies. We are confident that our Avedro Corneal Remodeling Platform coupled with our talented and experienced team will grow our leadership position in the treatment of progressive keratoconus and expand treatment capabilities to address additional conditions, such as refractive disorders.”
“I am very excited to be joining Avedro at such a pivotal time in the company’s history. Avedro has made significant progress with reimbursement, earning a unique J code from CMS and securing positive coverage from America’s largest national commercial payers, facilitating access to approximately 95 percent of our estimated total U.S. addressable market. I am looking forward to working with my network of refractive ophthalmic customers to accelerate adoption of FDA approved cross-linking in the United States and help more patients with this sight-threatening disease,” said Jacques.