Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG / Key word(s): Product Launch
21.09.2010 09:41
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Berlin, 21 September 2010. IBt Bebig, a Belgium-based subsidiary of Eckert
& Ziegler AG (ISIN DE5659700), presented for the first time plastic
implants for the treatment of prostate cancer - the first of their kinds
worldwide - at the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
(ESTRO) Congress in Barcelona. They are easier to produce than traditional
metal capsules and allow an even more precise dosing of the administered
radiation. As the rice grain-sized mini implants can be combined with one
another to very stable chains like lego bricks, the doctor is able to
choose a dosage attuned to the respective patient. With spacers being used,
the spaces between the active elements can be adjusted e.g. to unusual
tumor shapes and thus an optimal dosage distribution can be achieved in the
affected organ. The mini implants are planned to be introduced in Europe on
a broad basis under the brand name SmartSeed(R) starting around the middle
of 2011.
'We are convinced that with SmartSeed(R) we are able to further expand our
market share in the field of permanent brachytherapy', says Dr. Edgar
Löffler, member of the Board of Directors and responsible for the Therapy
segment. 'Moreover, this innovative product will open up markets in
emerging countries that have been closed to us up to now. Plastic implants
only need to be activated, i.e. be made radioactive, at the last stage of
the value added chain and therefore they can also be exported profitable as
an inactive product - in contrast to traditional implants that couldn't.
This makes it easier to reach distance or insular markets.'
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among males. In Europe
alone there are 135,000 new cases each year. Brachytherapy, i.e. studding
the affected organ with tiny radioactive pins, has become a well-tried and
very gentle form of treatment for early stages of prostate carcinomas. In
the US already every third prostate cancer patient is treated this way.
Long-term results show that patients with localized prostate carcinoma are
treated just as effective and on average with fewer side effects than with
other methods.
The Eckert & Ziegler Group is specialized in isotope technology components
for radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. It has 540 employees worldwide and
is one of Europe's largest providers of implants for prostate cancer
treatment.
Your contact:
Eckert & Ziegler AG, Karolin Riehle, Investor Relations, Robert-Rössle-Str.
10, 13125 Berlin, Tel.: +49 (0) 30 / 94 10 84-138, Fax -112, E-Mail:
karolin.riehle@ezag.de, www.ezag.com
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Language: English
Company: Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG
Robert-Rössle-Str.10
13125 Berlin
Deutschland
Phone: 49 30 941084-138
Fax: 49 30 941084-112
E-mail: karolin.riehle@ezag.de
Internet: www.ezag.de
ISIN: DE0005659700, DE000A0L1L69
WKN: 565970, A0L1L6
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard), Stuttgart;
Freiverkehr in Hamburg, München, Düsseldorf, Berlin
End of Announcement DGAP News-Service
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