Cardiologist Peter Soukas becomes chief medical officer of carotid stent company
Cardiology thought leader Peter A. Soukas, MD, FACC, FSCAI, FSVM, FACP, has become the chief medical officer of carotid stent maker InspireMD Inc.
He is currently the director of vascular medicine and the peripheral vascular interventional laboratory at Miriam Hospital in addition to his role as an associate professor of medicine at Brown University. Soukas said he will be maintaining his clinical practice.
The company gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for its new CGuard Prime carotid stent system for the prevention of stroke earlier this year.
“I'm honored to join InspireMD as chief medical officer. As a physician, I've witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of stroke and the transformative difference that innovations like CGuard Prime can make for patients,” Soukas said in a prepared statement. “Physicians depend on the partnership with industry to advance new innovation and the team at InspireMD is an incredible example of how this ecosystem works well. My commitment is to guide the company with oversight of clinical and medical topics that build on success to date while establishing greater awareness of this breakthrough stent platform. I'm excited to join this team while continuing to collaborate with our clinical partners to advance patient care.”
InspireMD describes Soukas as a key opinion leader who has helped shape the field of vascular medicine. He has served as site principal investigator for more than 150 endovascular trials; he held the role of principal investigator for more than 24 trials just in carotid stenting. Soukas also is an avid speaker at interventional meetings, having delivered over 300 invited lectures
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Soukas join InspireMD to help lead our clinical and medical organization with strategy and oversight at this pivotal time for the Company,” said Marvin Slosman, CEO of InspireMD in a statement. “His expertise and clinical practice focus in carotid intervention and peripheral vascular disease offer valuable insights as we launch CGuard Prime into the U.S. market. Dr. Soukas has been a strong supporter of our work advancing our next generation CGuard Prime stent platform to transform patient care through best-in-class clinical outcomes. This transformational time for carotid intervention requires us to build a team to lead the field, and Dr. Soukas will be a tremendous contributor to our work ahead."
CGuard Prime was one of three new carotid stents cleared by the FDA in past year that incorporate either a fine mesh screen covering the stent, or an integrated emboli protection filter to prevent the release of emboli during stent delivery.
Carotid stenting received considerable attention after a 2023 policy update from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that expanded coverage for percutaneous transluminal angioplasty of the carotid artery concurrent with stenting. The updated Medicare coverage increased the use of carotid artery stenting over traditional carotid endarterectomy surgery.
Read more on this topic with Ken Rosenfield, MD, section head of vascular medicine and intervention at Massachusetts General Hospital. Or watch a video interview with Rosenfield and William Gray, about the impact of new CMS coverage for carotid stenting.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]