Helius Medical Technologies, Inc. Appoints Frederick Fantazzia as Vice President of Sales & Marketing, North America

NEWTOWN, Pa., June 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Helius Medical Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSDT) (TSX:HSM) ("Helius" or the "Company"), a neurotech company focused on neurological wellness, today announced the appointment of Frederick Fantazzia to the position of Vice President of Sales & Marketing, North America, effective June 1, 2021.

"Fred is a dynamic leader with 16 years of sales and marketing experience in the field of neuromodulation, and a specific focus on developing the market for new neuromodulation technologies by building and leading high-quality sales team to raise awareness and facilitate commercial adoption," said Dane Andreeff, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Helius. "We are pleased to welcome him to our leadership team and look forward to his contributions as we continue our pre-commercialization initiatives and prepare to commercialize our PoNS Treatment in the United States."

"I believe Helius is a rising star in the development of innovative neuromodulation technologies to treat conditions related to the effects of neurological disease and trauma," said Mr. Fantazzia. "With the Company's PoNS device now authorized for sale in the U.S., I am excited to join the team at this important inflection point. I look forward to developing the market for PoNS Treatment and bringing it to U.S. patients suffering from the effects of multiple sclerosis."

Prior to joining Helius, Mr. Fantazzia worked for LivaNova, PLC (NASDAQ:LIVN), a global medical technology company that designs, develops, manufactures and sells innovative therapeutic solutions in the fields of neuromodulation and cardiovascular disease, from 2016 until 2021. He most recently served as Vice President of North America Sales and Marketing for LivaNova's Epilepsy business, where he managed all aspects related to its commercialization of a neuromodulation technology for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. During his time with LivaNova/Cyberonics Inc., Mr. Fantazzia also served as Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for its Neuromodulation segment from 2015 to 2016 and Vice President of U.S. Sales from 2016 to 2018.

Prior to the merger between Sorin S.p.A. and Cyberonics Inc., which combined to form LivaNova in 2015, Mr. Fantazzia worked for Cyberonics Inc. (NASDAQ:CYBX) a medical device company with core expertise in neuromodulation. He joined the company as a Regional Sales Manager in 2005, and subsequently held a series of positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in his promotion to Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for Neuromodulation in 2015.

Mr. Fantazzia holds a B.S. in Business Administration from Villanova University.

About Helius Medical Technologies, Inc.

Helius Medical Technologies is a neurotech company focused on neurological wellness. The Company's purpose is to develop, license and acquire unique and non-invasive platform technologies that amplify the brain's ability to heal itself. The Company's first commercial product is the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS™). For more information, visit www.heliusmedical.com.

About the PoNS™ Device and PoNS Treatment™

The Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS™) is an innovative non-surgical device, inclusive of a controller and mouthpiece, which delivers electrical stimulation to the surface of the tongue to provide treatment of gait deficit. The PoNS device is indicated for use in the United States as a short term treatment of gait deficit due to mild-to-moderate symptoms from multiple sclerosis ("MS") and is to be used as an adjunct to a supervised therapeutic exercise program in patients 22 years of age and over by prescription only. It is authorized for sale in Canada as a class II, non-implantable, medical device intended as a short term treatment (14 weeks) of gait deficit due to mild and moderate symptoms from MS, and chronic balance deficit due to mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury ("mmTBI") and is to be used in conjunction with physical therapy. The PoNS™ is an investigational medical device in the European Union ("EU") and Australia ("AUS"). It is currently under premarket review by the AUS Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Investor Relations Contact:

Westwicke on behalf of Helius Medical Technologies, Inc.

Jack Powell, Vice President

[email protected]

Cautionary Disclaimer Statement: 

Certain statements in this news release are not based on historical facts and constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as "believe," "continue," "look forward," "will," "committed to," "goal," "expect," "remain," "hope" and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the Company's future growth and operational progress, the next phase of the Company's market development activities, clinical and regulatory development plans for the PoNS device, the timing and success of the Company's commercialization efforts in the United States, and the ability for the Company to develop the market for PoNS Treatment and bringing it to U.S. patients suffering from the effects of multiple sclerosis.

These statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations include , uncertainties regarding the Company's capital requirements to achieve its business objectives, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company's ability to train physical therapists in the supervision of the use of the PoNS Treatment, the Company's ability to secure contracts with rehabilitation clinics, the Company's ability to obtain national Medicare coverage and to obtain a reimbursement code so that the PoNS device is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, the Company's ability to build internal commercial infrastructure, market awareness of the PoNS device, future clinical trials and the clinical development process, manufacturing and supply chain risks, potential changes to the MCIT program, the product development process and FDA regulatory submission review and approval process, other development activities, ongoing government regulation, and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulators, including the risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" sections of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and its other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian securities regulators, which can be obtained from either at www.sec.gov or www.sedar.com. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such statements except to the extent required by law.

The Toronto Stock Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.