Uroplasty Announces Executive Changes In US Sales Organization

MINNEAPOLIS, Feb. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ: UPI), a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative proprietary products to treat voiding dysfunctions, today announced changes in its executive leadership for its US sales organization.

Effective February 11, 2013, Darin Hammers will assume the role of Vice President of US Sales.  In his new role, Mr. Hammers will have responsibility for the US sales force, inside sales support and customer service. In addition, effective the same day, Larry Heinemann will assume the role of Vice President of Corporate Development. This newly created position will focus on selling Uroplasty products to large group urology practices in the US, managed care organizations and other customers that are consolidating their purchases of products for treating voiding dysfunctions in the physician's office.

Prior to joining Uroplasty, Mr. Hammers held roles of increasing responsibility in sales and sales management with Boston Scientific Corporation, Inc. and CR Bard, Inc.  He spent 13 years at Boston Scientific Corporation in its Urology/Gynecology Business Unit, advancing from a field Territory Manager, and ending his career there as Group Director of Sales. Throughout his career at Boston Scientific, he led his sales organizations to significant success and growth while building strong relationships throughout the US with key opinion leaders in urology.  Following Boston Scientific, Mr. Hammers joined CR Bard, spending four years there as Vice President of Sales – Bard Medical Division. While there, he focused on growing the business with five different sales organizations focused on different disease states, including urology, the largest portion of the division.

"Darin joins Uroplasty at the perfect time in our life cycle," said David Kaysen, President and CEO of Uroplasty.  "Sales of our products, particularly Urgent PC, which provides physicians with an in-office treatment for overactive bladder, have grown nicely and we believe we are poised to achieve further growth.  Darin brings strong relationships, strong leadership and development skills that will strengthen our sales organization as we drive to future growth.  I am excited to have Darin join our team and I look forward to working closely with him as he sets the direction and key strategies for our sales organization."

"Uroplasty is the perfect opportunity for me," said Mr. Hammers.  "As I learned of this opportunity, I did significant due diligence on Uroplasty, and particularly on Urgent PC.  As I spoke with key physicians that I know and other clinicians, it became clear to me that Urgent PC is an outstanding product that has great opportunities ahead of it.  I am excited to become a part of this company and look forward to driving sales and growth in the future."

Larry Heinemann, former VP of US Sales, will assume the position of Vice President of Corporate Development. In this new role, Mr. Heinemann will be responsible for developing strategies for a corporate sales effort focused on building relationships with large group urology practices, large HMO/PPO organizations as well as other entities that are consolidating their purchasing of products such as Urgent PC and Macroplastique.

"Larry is the perfect person for this effort given his knowledge of our business and our markets," said Mr. Kaysen.  "As our customers join large urology practices, they treat buying decisions on a corporate level.  To have an executive level person calling on the executives of these customers is an advantage that we believe will help drive purchasing decisions at a corporate level that then will be implemented at the individual clinic. Larry was a key part of the team that completed our recently announced agreement with Kaiser Permanente. This experience will serve him well as we approach other large HMO/PPO programs that manage and coordinate treatment of voiding dysfunctions in their associated hospitals and clinics."

About Uroplasty, Inc.

Uroplasty, Inc., headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with wholly-owned subsidiaries in The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, is a global medical company committed to offering transformative treatment options to specialty physicians.  Our products are designed to help providers change the lives of their voiding dysfunction patients and strengthen the efficiency of their practices. Our focus is the continued commercialization of our Urgent® PC Neuromodulation System, the only FDA-cleared system that delivers percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) for the office-based treatment of overactive bladder and associated symptoms of urgency, frequency and urge incontinence. We also offer Macroplastique^®, an injectable urethral bulking agent for the treatment of adult female stress urinary incontinence primarily due to intrinsic sphincter deficiency. For more information on the company and its products, please visit Uroplasty, Inc. at www.uroplasty.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect our best estimates regarding future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our anticipated results. We discuss in detail the factors that may affect the achievement of our forward-looking statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.  In particular, we cannot be certain that we will ever achieve sustained profitability, that the rate of reimbursement for PTNS treatments will be adequate to justify the cost of our product, that other Medicare carriers or private payers will provide coverage for this treatment or that existing carriers and payers will not change their coverage decisions, that the rate of adoption of our products by new customers will continue, or that any of the other risks identified in our 10-K will not adversely affect our expectations as described in these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Uroplasty, Inc.