First Patients in India Receive Innovative Treatment for Primary Liver Cancer
17 Janvier 2007 - 2:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
TheraSphere(R) offers patients well-tolerated alternative to
conventional cancer therapies OTTAWA, Jan. 17
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MDS Nordion, a leading global provider of
medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals used to diagnose and
treat disease, announced today that its innovative cancer treatment
TheraSphere(R) has been used in India for the first time, marking
the beginning of the treatment's broader introduction into India.
Three patients were the first to be treated for primary liver
cancer in India using TheraSphere(R). Two of the successful
infusions were conducted at the Lilavati Hospital and Research
Centre. The third was performed at the Jaslok Hospital and Research
Centre. Both centres are located in Mumbai, India. TheraSphere(R)
will be used in India to treat both primary and secondary liver
cancers. As a result of its commitment to providing innovative
cancer treatments to people in India, MDS Nordion is one of 89
Ontario-based companies and organizations participating in a trade
mission to India, organized by the Government of Ontario that is
taking place this week. "The first-time use of TheraSphere(R) in
India represents an incredible opportunity for us to expand the use
of this innovative treatment to help people in India and increase
MDS Nordion's global market reach," said Steve West, President of
MDS Nordion. "It also supports our strategy to explore and
capitalize on opportunities in the health and life sciences sectors
in this growing market." Comprised of tiny radioactive glass beads,
TheraSphere(R) is injected by a physician into the main artery of
the patient's liver using a catheter. This allows the treatment to
be delivered directly to the tumor. TheraSphere(R) delivers a
therapeutic dose of radiation to cancerous tumours directly while
minimizing impact on the patient's healthy tissue. As a result, it
has fewer side effects than traditional cancer therapy. The
treatment is usually an outpatient procedure and patients do not
have to stay overnight in the hospital. "Patients with liver cancer
are often difficult to treat as they are frequently very, very sick
and unable to withstand traditional cancer therapy. TheraSphere(R)
provides us with another tool to treat this terrible disease," said
Dr. Vimal Someshwar, consulting Interventional Radiologist at the
Lilavati Hospital. "TheraSphere(R) is a well-tolerated treatment
option that offers a number of important benefits to the patients
and the institutions providing their care." Both the Lilivati and
the Jaslok hospitals are leading centres in India for oncology care
with specializations in the treatment of liver disease. "As is the
case around the world, India is also experiencing rising rates of
cancer as its population grows and gets older," said Dr. Shrinivas
B. Desai, Head of the Department of Imaging and Interventional
Radiology with the Jaslok Hospital. "In 2002, some 850,000 new
cases of cancer were recorded in this country. The demand for
effective cancer treatment in our country, over the coming years,
will continue to grow." Meanwhile, future TheraSphere(R) treatments
are planned at other medical facilities in India. "We are scheduled
to bring this innovative technology to life very soon at the Apollo
Cancer Institute. TheraSphere(R) will have an important role in our
overall treatment scenarios for patients with primary liver cancer
and other cancers that have spread to the liver," said Dr. Sameer
Kaul, Surgical Oncologist at Apollo Hospital in New Delhi. This
introduction into India is another example of the momentum seen in
the growing use of TheraSphere(R) around the world. In 2006,
TheraSphere(R) received approval for distribution and use in
Europe. In the United States, TheraSphere(R) is approved by the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a Humanitarian Use
Device for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the
most common form of primary liver cancer. Most recently, MDS
Nordion received approval from the U.S. FDA for the use of
TheraSphere(R) to treat patients with HCC who have partial or
branch portal vein thrombosis (PVT) and who have been identified as
suitable candidates by their physicians. MDS Nordion has also
received FDA approval for clinical trials to test the effectiveness
of TheraSphere(R) in patients with secondary liver cancer. About
TheraSphere(R) TheraSphere(R) is a low toxicity, out-patient 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. The
TheraSphere(R) treatment can generally be administered on an
outpatient basis and does not usually require an overnight hospital
stay. TheraSphere(R), 100% reimbursed by Medicare and many
commercial health insurers, 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
http://www.therasphere.com/ or visit us at SIR 2007, March 1-6,
2007 in Seattle, Washington, Booth # 1215. About MDS Nordion MDS
Nordion (http://www.mds.nordion.com/) is a world leader in medical
isotopes, radiation and related technologies. It is a division of
MDS Inc. (TSX:MDS)(NYSE:MDZ). 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 http://www.mdsinc.com/ or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24
hours a day. DATASOURCE: MDS Nordion CONTACT: Media Inquiries:
Olivia Nixon, MDS Nordion, (613) 592-2790 ext. 2558, (613) 724-1767
(Mobile), ; Investor Inquiries: Sharon Mathers, Vice-President,
Investor Relations and External Communications, (416) 675-6777 ext.
34721,
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