Eckert & Ziegler granted FDA clearance for prostate seeds

Berlin, May 21, 2002. Eckert & Ziegler AG, Berlin, the manufacturer of cancer treatment products, has been granted a 510k license by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their low-dose iodine seeds for the treatment of prostate cancer. Prostate carcinoma which is the most common cancer affecting males is treated very effectively with this therapy. This treatment has a much lower rate of side effects such as incontinence and impotence and is also more cost effective than conventional methods. The market volume for this treatment method in the USA is about $ 200 million. The health insurance organizations in the USA cover the cost of this treatment automatically, whereas in Germany a separate application has to be made in each case.

Eckert & Ziegler will in future be marketing their prostate seeds for brachytherapy directly in the USA. The company recently took over the customer base and part of the sales team of its former distributor, Alliant Medical Technologies. Sales will now be handled through Eckert & Ziegler AG's American subsidiary, Isotope Products Laboratories Inc. (IPL). IPL is the world- market leader in radiation sources for the field of nuclear imaging.

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