London, UK, 13 October 2014: BTG plc (LSE: BTG), the specialist healthcare company, announces it will begin selling its drug-eluting bead and embolisation products, DC Bead® and Bead Block®, directly to customers in 11 European countries from 1 April 2015. These products, developed and manufactured by BTG, are currently sold in Europe by the Terumo Corporation under a contract that expires on 31 March 2015.
BTG announced in May 2014 that it was expanding its commercial presence in Europe by building a direct sales force to promote the approved uses of its products in major European markets, initially to focus on the radioembolisation product TheraSphere®. BTG has now decided that this sales force will also sell DC Bead® and Bead Block®, complementary interventional oncology products, from 1 April 2015. Other European markets will be serviced by distributors working directly with BTG. BTG will work to ensure an uninterrupted supply of these products in Europe, and will invest in further product innovation and clinical development.
Louise Makin, CEO of BTG, commented: “Directly supplying both beads and Therasphere® to specialist interventional oncology physicians in Europe will allow us to offer them a unique portfolio of products to treat their patients. Our Interactions with these physicians will also provide us valuable insights into treatment practice and unmet medical needs that will help guide future development efforts. In parallel, we continue to build our commercial and regulatory capabilities in other geographies, including Asia.”
DC Bead® is an embolic drug-eluting bead capable of loading and releasing chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, a primary liver cancer) and liver metastases from colorectal and other cancers. Bead Block® is an embolic device for embolising blood vessels of a variety of hypervascularised tumours and arteriovenous malformations and is most commonly used for the treatment of uterine fibroids and other benign (non-malignant) tumours. Both products are used in minimally invasive (non-surgical) procedures performed by an interventional radiologist.
DC Bead® and Bead Block® both received CE Mark approval in Europe in 2003 and have historically been sold in Europe via distributors. Beginning 1 April 2015, BTG will be selling directly to physicians in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, Spain, and the UK.
Through the growth of its embolic bead products, the acquisitions of TheraSphere® and EKOS Corporation and the US approval of Varithena®, BTG has become a leader in interventional medicine. Interventional medicine is a minimally invasive approach that relies on using medical imaging to deliver treatments precisely where they are needed in the body. This is a fast-growing area of medicine, driven by demand for better treatments and outcomes, advances in imaging techniques and product innovation. BTG is working with healthcare professionals across disciplines to realise the full potential of interventional medicine to treat patients.
For further information contact:
BTG
Investors
Andy Burrows, VP, Corporate and Investor Relations
+44 (0)20 7575 1741; Mobile: +44 (0)7990 530605
Stuart Hunt, Investor Relations Manager
+44 (0)20 7575 1582; Mobile: +44 (0)7815 778 536
Media
Chris Sampson, Director of Corporate Communications
+44 (0)20 7575 1595; Mobile: +44 (0)7773 251 178
FTI Consulting
Ben Atwell/Simon Conway
+44 (0)20 3727 1000
About BTG
BTG is an international specialist healthcare company that is developing and commercializing products targeting acute care, cancer and vascular diseases. The company has diversified revenues from sales of its own marketed products and from royalties on partnered products, and is seeking to acquire new programs and products to develop and market to specialist physicians.
For further information about BTG please visit our website at www.btgplc.com.
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