Simplify Medical Appoints IP Attorney Veteran to VP, General Counsel

Simplify Medical Pty Ltd., maker of the Simplify cervical artificial disc, has appointed Cindy Lynch to vice president, General Counsel. Lynch has nearly 15 years of experience providing strategic legal and intellectual property advice to medical device startups.
 
Lynch’s appointment comes at a time when Simplify is expanding commercial efforts in Europe and nearing completion of its two-level U.S. IDE clinical trial for the implantation of its cervical artificial disc. The company completed enrollment of its one-level trial in February with 166 patients enrolled at 16 U.S. sites and anticipates complete enrollment of 200 patients at 18 centers in its two-level study by the end of 2018.
 
CEO David Hovda commented, “Cindy has led our intellectual property program for years, and we are very excited she has joined our team as general counsel.  While continuing to lead our IP program, which we believe is the largest and most impactful portfolio in cervical spine motion preservation, she will lead our overall legal strategy and continue to ensure our technology remains fully protected.”
 
Lynch specializes in intellectual property law and business venture advising. Prior to consulting for companies including Simplify Medical as in-house counsel, she worked as the vice president of Intellectual Property at Elixir Medical Corporation, Moximed Inc., SpinalMotion Inc., Conor Medsystems Inc., and as a partner at Burns, Doane, Swecker & Mathis LLP. Lynch will complete her M.B.A. from San Francisco State University in 2018 and earned her J.D. from George Mason University School of Law in 1995.
 
“I am thrilled to be part of the Simplify Medical team,” Lynch said. “This is an exciting time to be working with Simplify as we near completion of the two-level Simplify Disc IDE trial enrollment and work toward the highly-anticipated commercial launch of the Simplify Disc, which will provide patients an innovative option for cervical disc replacement. As we continue to expand our commercial efforts, the protection of Simplify’s legal and IP interests is critical, and I look forward to working closely with the management team in these efforts.”
 
Simplify Disc is a motion preserving cervical artificial disc designed to allow for advanced imaging capability of MRI, and better match patients’ anatomies and kinematics. It is composed of advanced, primarily non-metal materials (PEEK-on-ceramic) to permit the full diagnostic imaging capability of magnetic resonance imaging and may eliminate the need for computed tomography/Myelogram and CT imaging in order to minimize patient exposure to radiation. The Simplify Disc is anatomically designed, offering a broader range of disc heights including low height implant options to better fit patients’ anatomies. With no metal in its articulating components, the disc is also designed for low levels of wear to optimize long-term durability. Implantation of the Simplify Disc is accomplished in a straightforward, three-step procedure.
 
Simplify Medical is a medical device company focused on cervical spinal disc arthroplasty, using innovative, MRI-compatible materials designed to decrease the need for ionizing radiation and enhance patient options. Simplify Medical is located in Sunnyvale, Calif. The Simplify Disc is an investigational device in the United States and is limited by law to investigational use.