OTTAWA, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - MDS Nordion, a leading global provider of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals used to diagnose and treat disease, has established four Centers of Excellence in Europe for TheraSphere(R), its innovative liver cancer treatment. The Centers, located in Spain, France, Germany, and Italy will serve to train and educate oncology professionals on the use of the innovative technique. The Centres of Excellence are: BCLC Group Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain; Centre Eugene Marquis, Rennes, France; University-Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; and University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
TheraSphere(R) received the CE mark of approval for distribution and use in Europe in June 2006. TheraSphere(R) is a therapeutic medical device used in Europe for the treatment of liver cancer, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common form of primary liver cancer; or secondary liver cancer that has migrated to the liver from another location.
Comprised of tiny glass beads, TheraSphere(R) is injected by a physician into the main artery of the patient’s liver using a catheter. The beads become lodged in the small blood vessels that feed the tumour and deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation directly to the cancer while minimizing impact on the patient’s healthy tissue.
“Primary liver cancer can be difficult to treat as it is frequently accompanied by poor liver function resulting from other conditions such as hepatitis or cirrhosis. TheraSphere(R) is an option that is especially ideal for patients where surgery or transplantation is not possible,” said Dr. Jordi Bruix, Director, BCLC Group Hospital Clinic in Spain.
“In this age of targeted therapies, TheraSphere(R) allows us to deliver a therapeutic dose of radiation directly to the cancerous tumour while minimizing the impact on a patient’s healthy tissue,” said Dr. Jean-Luc Raoul, Oncology Professor, Medical Oncology Department, Centre Eugene Marquis in France.
According to the National Cancer Institute, HCC is the fourth most common cancer in the world. Chronic hepatitis B and C and cirrhosis are known risk factors that increase the risk of HCC. Rates of HCC are higher in Europe than in North America. In North America the incident rate of liver cancer is about 2.1 per 100,000 people. In northern Europe the rate is approximately 5 per 100,000 population, while in southern Europe the rate ranges from 5-20 cases per 100,000 population.
“TheraSphere(R) complements and expands the treatment options for patients with primary liver cancer, particularly those with advanced tumors that were previously untreatable,” said Dr. Philip Hilgard, Assistant Professor of Medicine with the University-Hospital Essen in Germany.
“The Centres of Excellence will greatly assist in increasing the awareness and understanding of the use and benefits of TheraSphere(R) among cancer treatment professionals in Europe,” said Professor Riccardo Lencioni, Radiologist with the University of Pisa in Italy.
“The development of TheraSphere(R) Centers of Excellence is a significant step toward making this innovative cancer therapy more widely available to a greater number of patients in Europe,” said Steve West, President of MDS Nordion. “We are excited to work with these prestigious institutions to gain valuable insight into the benefits of TheraSphere(R) for treating both primary and secondary liver cancer.”
In September 2006, MDS Nordion announced it had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin clinical trials on patients with secondary liver cancer. TheraSphere(R) has also been approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), who have partial or branch portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and who have been identified as suitable candidates by their physicians. This expanded use extends the current approval of TheraSphere(R) as a Humanitarian Use Device for the treatment of HCC. In addition, MDS Nordion recently announced the first-time use of TheraSphere(R) at sites in India.
About TheraSphere(R)
TheraSphere(R) is a low toxicity, liver cancer therapy which consists of millions of micro-glass beads containing radioactive yttrium-90. The product is injected by physicians into the main artery of the patient’s liver through a catheter which allows the treatment to be delivered directly to the tumor via blood vessels. Unlike chemotherapy, it has few side effects. Patients rarely experience nausea and vomiting usually associated with high-dose, systemic chemotherapies. TheraSphere(R) is approved in Europe for the treatment of primary and secondary liver cancer. In the United States, the TheraSphere(R) treatment can generally be administered on an outpatient basis, does not usually require an overnight hospital stay and is 100% reimbursed by Medicare and many commercial health insurers. TheraSphere(R), is approved in the U.S. as a Humanitarian Device for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma, also referred to as primary liver cancer, and is now approved for patients who also have partial or branch portal vein thrombosis and who are identified as suitable candidates by their physicians. For more information on TheraSphere(R) go to www.therasphere.com or visit us at EASL 2007, April 11-15, 2007 in Barcelona, Spain, Booth # 2122.
About MDS Nordion
MDS Nordion (www.mds.nordion.com) is a world leader in medical isotopes, radiation and related technologies. It is a division of MDS Inc. . MDS Inc. is a global life sciences company that provides market-leading products and services that our customers need for the development of drugs and diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading global provider of pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments. MDS has more than 8,800 highly skilled people in 28 countries. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.
MDS Nordion
CONTACT: Media Inquiries, Olivia Nixon, MDS Nordion, (613) 592-2790 ext.2558, (613) 724-1767 (Mobile), olivia.nixon@mdsinc.com; Investor Inquiries,Sharon Mathers, Vice-President, Investor Relations and ExternalCommunications, (416) 675-6777 ext. 34721, sharon.mathers@mdsinc.com
