SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Spirair™, an early-stage company pioneering minimally invasive solutions that help ENTs advance care for their patients, today announced the appointment of Benjamin Bishop as its chief executive officer. The company is developing a novel therapy for symptomatic nasal septal deviation (NSD) that supports and straightens minor deviations in the septum with a bioabsorbable implant.
Septal deviation is one of the most common causes of nasal airway obstruction (NAO), a condition that makes it difficult to breathe through the nose.1 Despite advancements in techniques, treatments and technologies in the otolaryngology (ENT) field broadly, NSD correction has remained stagnant for years. Treatment options for symptomatic NSD have been limited to either over-the-counter medications to alleviate symptoms or invasive surgical techniques to address the structural issues that cause these symptoms. Traditional septoplasty or septorhinoplasty are the most common surgical treatment options for NSD. Septoplasty can require significant time away from work, with approximately 40% of patients requiring two or more weeks off for recovery.2
“Our team is partnering with leading ENT advisors and industry veterans to develop minimally invasive solutions that provide strong outcomes and a better experience for their patients,” said Bishop. “I’m proud to join this team of innovators who are working to add treatment options to physicians’ toolkits to help them continue supporting their patients.”
Bishop joins Spirair with two decades of commercial leadership experience across the medical, surgical and aesthetic industries. He has a proven track record for successfully launching disruptive technologies and establishing new markets, playing a key role in developing high-growth companies like Revelle Aesthetics, Revance Therapeutics, and Access Closure. Bishop also led sales and marketing at Arrinex – the company that developed ClariFix®, an ENT technology for chronic rhinitis – prior to its acquisition by Stryker in 2019.
Spirair got its start in the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship, a program that equips aspiring innovators with a proven, repeatable process to identify important health-related needs, invent novel health technologies to address them, and prepare to implement those products into patient care. Founders James Kintzing, Ph.D. and Brandon McCutcheon, M.D. were co-fellows in the program and identified an opportunity in the ENT space when they discovered the unmet need for a minimally invasive nasal septal deviation correction therapy to help address nasal airway obstruction.
“As an alumna of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship myself, I’ve seen firsthand how this program successfully supports groundbreaking ideas in healthcare technology – and Spirair is a shining example of this innovation,” said Kate Garrett, managing partner at Sonder Capital, assistant director of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship and chair of Spirair’s board of directors. “Benjamin Bishop has an outstanding track record as a commercial leader and I’m thrilled to welcome him to Spirair as its chief executive officer as we begin this exciting next stage of growth.”
Spirair’s nasal septal deviation therapy is currently being investigated as part of two IRB-approved nonsignificant risk (NSR) U.S. clinical trials. The company expects to begin a Series B fundraising round and initiate its commercialization efforts in 2024.
1Clark DW, Del Signore AG, Raithatha R, Senior BA. Nasal airway obstruction: Prevalence and anatomic contributors. Ear Nose Throat J. 2018 Jun;97(6):173-176. doi: 10.1177/014556131809700615. PMID: 30036414.
2Chidambaram A, et al. Anticipated absence from work ('sick leave') following routine ENT surgery: are we giving the correct advice? A postal questionnaire survey. Clin Otolaryngol Allied Sci. 2001 Apr;26(2):104-8. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2273.2001.00433.x. PMID: 11309049.
About Spirair
Spirair is an early-stage company pioneering minimally invasive solutions that help ENTs advance care for their patients by providing strong outcomes and a better patient experience. Spirair is committed to developing new therapies that can easily integrate in any ENT’s treatment algorithms so they can help more of their patients breathe better. Its first product is a novel minimally invasive option for symptomatic NSD that supports and straightens minor deviations in the septal cartilage and can be conveniently and safely performed under local anesthesia in any site of service as part of standard septoplasty techniques. The company got its start through the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship, a program that equips aspiring innovators with a proven, repeatable process to identify important health-related needs, invent novel health technologies to address them, and prepare to implement those products into patient care.
