MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As it readies for FDA clearance of its first product and subsequent launch of its innovative program, Bigfoot Biomedical announced today it has established an experienced commercial team led by senior vice president Berkley Nelson. Nelson will help shape Bigfoot’s commercialization approach with responsibility for leading the team when they begin to contract with health care providers and payers.
“It’s exciting to transition our energies from FDA submission of our Bigfoot Unity™ Diabetes Management System to building out key support functions within our organization,” said Jeffrey Brewer, CEO of Bigfoot Biomedical. “As commercial SVP, Berkley will be instrumental in standing up the commercial operations and driving adoption by providers. He will also craft innovative reimbursement strategies to provide accessibility to the Bigfoot Unity solution to the millions of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes who struggle with the constant decision-making around insulin dosing.”
In building out Bigfoot’s commercial team, Nelson announced the addition of Tony Galliani as vice president of sales and Sam Auderer as director of commercial operations.
“The Bigfoot team has done an incredible job with a tremendous amount of fresh thinking to get the product to this point,” said Nelson. “Now I’ve embraced the challenge of designing the commercial model that will put the Bigfoot Unity program into the hands of the people who need it. There are many innovations coming out for insulin pump users but few for people who are under Multiple Daily Injection (MDI) therapy, so we’re excited to deliver a solution for this underserved market. At a startup you often get the opportunity to break the norms, which is exactly what Bigfoot aims to do.”
Together, Nelson and his new team represent a wealth of experience and knowledge in the medical device space and operationalizing a provider reimbursement and services model. Nelson and Auderer come to Bigfoot Biomedical having both previously worked for Voluntis where Nelson was chief growth officer and Auderer was director of commercial operations, and United Allergy Services where Nelson served as vice president of business development and payer relations. Nelson also brings experience from Medtronic and Siemens Health.
Galliani comes to Bigfoot Biomedical with more than two decades in the diabetes device industry. Most recently, he was vice president of sales for Companion Medical, successfully helping build their commercial team and launching their initial product. Prior to his work for Companion, Galliani worked for Tandem Diabetes Care and spent more than a decade with Animas, a Johnson & Johnson company. Galliani will focus his work at Bigfoot Biomedical on health care provider sales.
“Not only does Tony bring to Bigfoot a wealth of sales experience but his leadership on key innovations such as the smart pen are known throughout the industry,” said Brewer. “Having the experience and expertise of Berkley, Tony and Sam at the helm of our commercial operations gives Bigfoot a huge advantage as we build relationships with both providers and payers.”
“Bigfoot has been extremely intentional in regard to its approach to Bigfoot Unity, which makes the work of our commercial team especially exciting,” said Nelson. “The current gaps in advances for MDI therapy, the simplicity of our solution and the telemedicine implications of access to rich physiologic data opens the door to supporting better overall health outcomes, which is a key motivator for both providers and payers.”
Bigfoot Unity is a real-time, dose-decision support system utilizing proprietary smart pen caps and integrating Abbott’s new FreeStyle Libre 2™ continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) platform. At mealtime or other occasions when the person with diabetes needs insulin, the Bigfoot Unity pen cap interfaces with the CGM sensor to display the appropriate insulin dose based on their physician’s recommendations. Data from the Bigfoot Unity program will be easily available for users to share with their health care providers in person or via telemedicine. Easy access to the user’s data is designed to support their health care providers in making treatment adjustments with the goal of improving A1C levels.
“Fundamentally what we are doing is helping people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes have confidence and the information they need to make the right dosing decisions,” said Brewer. “We want them to succeed in MDI therapy, and we believe the best way to achieve this is by making it as simple and seamless as possible.”
About Bigfoot Biomedical, Inc.
Bigfoot Biomedical was founded by a team of people with personal connections to type 1 and type 2 diabetes and, with its Bigfoot Unity and Bigfoot Autonomy programs, seeks to change the paradigm of care for insulin-requiring diabetes by leveraging data, connectivity, telemedicine, automation and machine learning to reduce the burden on people with insulin-requiring diabetes and maximize the leverage of health care providers. Learn more at bigfootbiomedical.com. Follow us on Twitter @BigfootBiomed and Facebook.
