PHOENIX — Paragon Vision Sciences, part of the CooperVision Specialty EyeCare division, is targeting five U.S. regions for expansion, citing rising eyecare-professional demand for myopia education and support.
By mid-year, the company anticipates placing teams in Northern California, Southern California, New York/New Jersey, Houston/Dallas and Phoenix, according to a press release. Each will consist of an account manager and practice management consultant, who will support ECPs in integrating Paragon CRT and other contact lenses into their practices. This includes customized clinical educational experiences for individual practitioners and staff.
The Cooper Cos. acquired Paragon Vision Sciences in 2017 for $80 million. The company is described as “a leading provider of orthokeratology (ortho-k), specialty contact lenses and oxygen permeable rigid contact lens materials.”
“Eye care professionals worldwide are concentrating on myopia more than ever, given the ever-growing prevalence among patients. In particular, we’re experiencing tremendous interest in China and the U.S. for enhanced education,” said Rich Jeffries, president of Paragon.
“For the first phase of our build out, we considered regions that not only had a strong base of forward-looking doctors, but also proximity to highly respected academic centers. We believe this approach will result in better treatment and outcomes for patients – one step among many that CooperVision is taking to address the myopia epidemic.”
Leading the effort is Anita Greggs Perez, who has been hired as Paragon’s U.S. commercial director. She has more than two decades of experience in launching and growing initiatives in medical device and healthcare channels, most recently serving as director, U.S. sales and marketing, for diagnostics manufacturer ACON Laboratories.
Previously she founded and managed National Launch Group, spearheading market introductions for multiple pharmaceutical, medical device, food and mass market brands.
Paragon expects to be fully deployed in the five chosen markets by mid-2019.
The CooperVision Specialty EyeCare division “accelerates eye care professionals’ access to innovative products that help improve the way people see each day, with a focus on the development of myopia management approaches and visual correction of irregular corneas,” according to the release. It includes Paragon Vision Sciences, Blanchard Contact Lenses, Soflex, and Procornea.