SOUTH JORDAN, Utah, May 26, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMSI ), a leading manufacturer and marketer of proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology and endoscopy, announced today that it has appointed Thomas Gunderson to serve as a director of the Company.
Gunderson recently retired from a 24-year career at Piper Jaffray where he covered numerous companies as a Senior Research Analyst for Medical Technology. Prior to joining Piper Jaffray, he worked for 12 years at American Medical Systems, a private medical device company acquired by Pfizer in 1983. Gunderson has served on several non-profit boards and is currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, as a member of the Board of TransMedics, Inc., and as a director of the Abbott Northwestern Hospital Foundation.
Gunderson was appointed by Merit’s Board of Directors to fill a vacancy which resulted from the resignation of Richard Edelman, who served as a director of Merit since the company’s founding and recently as Lead Director. Merit’s Board of Directors also appointed Nolan Karras to assume the role of Lead Director.
“We are pleased to have Thom Gunderson join our Board,” said Fred P. Lampropoulos, Merit’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe his broad experience in observing, analyzing and reporting on medtech companies will bring a seasoned perspective to the Board as we continually seek to represent the best interests of our shareholders. We would like to publicly thank Dick Edelman for his many years of dedication and service to Merit’s Board.”
ABOUT MERIT Founded in 1987, Merit Medical Systems, Inc. is engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology and endoscopy. Merit serves client hospitals worldwide with a domestic and international sales force totaling approximately 290 individuals. Merit employs approximately 4,500 people worldwide with facilities in South Jordan, Utah; Pearland, Texas; Richmond, Virginia; Malvern, Pennsylvania; Rockland, Massachusetts; San Jose, California; Maastricht and Venlo, The Netherlands; Paris, France; Galway, Ireland; Beijing, China; Tijuana, Mexico; Joinville, Brazil; Markham, Ontario, Canada; Melbourne, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; and Singapore.
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Statements contained in this release which are not purely historical, including, without limitation, statements regarding Merit's forecasted plans, revenues, net income, financial results or anticipated or completed acquisitions, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to Merit's potential inability to successfully manage growth through acquisitions, including the inability to commercialize technology acquired through completed, proposed or future transactions; product recalls and product liability claims; expenditures relating to research, development, testing and regulatory approval or clearance of Merit's products and risks that such products may not be developed successfully or approved for commercial use; governmental scrutiny and regulation of the medical device industry, including governmental inquiries, investigations and proceedings involving Merit; reforms to the 510(k) process administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; restrictions on Merit's liquidity or business operations resulting from its current debt agreements; infringement of Merit's technology or the assertion that Merit's technology infringes the rights of other parties; the potential of fines, penalties or other adverse consequences if Merit's employees or agents violate the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other laws or regulations; laws and regulations targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry; potential for significant adverse changes in governing regulations; changes in tax laws and regulations in the United States or other countries; increases in the prices of commodity components; negative changes in economic and industry conditions in the United States or other countries; termination or interruption of relationships with Merit's suppliers, or failure of such suppliers to perform; fluctuations in exchange rates; concentration of a substantial portion of Merit's revenues among a few products and procedures; development of new products and technology that could render Merit's existing products obsolete; market acceptance of new products; volatility in the market price of Merit's common stock; modification or limitation of governmental or private insurance reimbursement policies; changes in healthcare policies or markets related to healthcare reform initiatives; failure to comply with applicable environmental laws; changes in key personnel; work stoppage or transportation risks; introduction of products in a timely fashion; price and product competition; availability of labor and materials; fluctuations in and obsolescence of inventory; and other factors referred to in Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and other materials filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to Merit or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Actual results will likely differ, and may differ materially, from anticipated results. Financial estimates are subject to change and are not intended to be relied upon as predictions of future operating results, and Merit assumes no obligation to update or disclose revisions to those estimates.
Contact: Anne-Marie Wright, Vice President, Corporate Communications Phone: (801) 208-4167 e-mail: awright@merit.com Fax: (801) 253-1688
