Dr. Joseph F. Renzulli II has been named chief medical officer of Avadim Technologies Inc., the Bionome Therapies life sciences company based in Asheville, N.C. Avadim has created a new health order by eradicating the existing “sick care” approach to deliver “health care” through its topical Bionome Therapies called Theraworx. The products are engineered to restore the skin’s ecosystem, which proactively defends against infection and supports neuromuscular health.
He is an associate professor of urology at The Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University and serves on the urology staff at Rhode Island and The Miriam hospitals. Renzulli talked recently with Providence Business News about his new role at Avadim Technologies, and how he will continue his roles as an academician and practitioner in Rhode Island.
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PBN: You are Avadim Technologies’ first chief medical officer. Why did the company determine it needed that position?
RENZULLI: The company has achieved tremendous growth and expansion over the last few years. The adoption of Theraworx in acute and long-term care facilities has been exponential. In 2016, 1 million patients were treated with our products. Steve Woody, chief executive officer, and the executive team recognized the importance of additional medical oversight and the need for a chief medical officer who could develop and direct future clinical trials and advise on potential new drug applications of Theraworx.
PBN: What drew you to accept the chief medical officer position?
RENZULLI: Clearly, the novel science that was offered through Theraworx and its ability to defend against infection rather than simply treat infection after it had already occurred was what initially peaked my interest in accepting the position. It is helping to address the critical worldwide issues with multidrug-resistant organisms or superbugs and that is the future.
However, Avadim Technologies is truly a family. The individuals I had interacted with during my initial six months serving on the Scientific Advisory Board were genuine and caring – and they are determined to make a difference in the world. The passion and desire to serve others is the overriding theme here, and is actually the meaning of the word Avadim. That is exactly how the individuals in this company live their lives – and I wanted to play a larger role in achieving that goal.
PBN: Where do Avadim Technologies’ therapies and protocols intersect with your expertise in urology?
RENZULLI: The most critical infections we will face in the next decade will be institutional-acquired infections, otherwise known as nosocomial infections. The medical and fiscal impact of institutional-acquired infections are profound. There are infections that exist in certain institutions that have no known treatment. One of the most prevalent infections is catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
The presence of an indwelling catheter is a major risk factor for the development of a urinary tract infection, and in institutions often the infections have significant resistance profiles. As a practicing urologist, I am personally invested in reducing these infections and limiting the development of multidrug-resistance organisms. I am also familiar with the other hospital-acquired conditions that afflict our institutions, such as ventilator-associated pneumonias and central-line-associated bloodstream infections. Theraworx has proved successful in altering the incidence of these conditions as well.
PBN: What will your primary responsibilities be and what are your top priorities?
RENZULLI: My top priorities in the next year are to organize the clinical data that we at Avadim have accumulated, initiate new clinical trials across various disease states that we know we have efficacy in through our preliminary trials and evaluate our product line for new drug applications. Of course, we will continue to educate the medical field on the importance of antibiotic stewardship and the importance of taking a proactive approach to preserving and enhancing the skin’s unique microbiome to prevent infection rather than the standard reactive approach of waiting to treat infection once it has occurred.
PBN: How do you anticipate maintaining your current work responsibilities in Rhode Island, both as a professor and as a clinician, with a new demanding position at Avadim Technologies in Asheville, N.C.?
RENZULLI: Avadim Technologies is an innovative organization changing the paradigm for delivery of true health care. As your question has insinuated, the typical pharmaceutical or life sciences company hires a physician to take on a full-time role within a company, but Avadim believes the best fit for its mission is to engage the concept of a chief medical officer through a different lens. Avadim wants its chief medical officer to remain in clinical practice and academics so as to keep that individual clinically and academically relevant. Many chief medical officers even give up their licensure and quickly lose touch with patients. I would never be willing to accept those terms; in that scenario, I would lose all ability to remain true to the personal reasons I became a physician.
If I chose to leave clinical practice, I would be letting down my patients, my colleagues and the affiliated systems where I currently serve. Avadim has assembled one of the most robust medical science advisory boards with global key opinion leaders from multiple disciplines, which serves as a true functional arm of the company. It does not exist as a sales gimmick or a board on paper; instead it truly functions to serve the company. Right now, I am devoting one day a month to serve in this capacity, but I also spend many nights and weekends working on key initiatives and objectives. In the future, if we recognize the need for an additional time commitment, I would be willing to decrease my clinical activities to four days per week.
