Reimbursement of Cobalt-60 source used with the MultiSource® HDR afterloading system of Eckert & Zieger BEBIG in Japan
(Thomson Reuters ONE) -
Seneffe, Belgium, March 29, 2012, Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG announced today that
the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has granted the
reimbursement of the Cobalt-60 source which is the active component of
MultiSource®, starting from April 1, 2012.
MultiSource® is a state-of-the-art afterloader of Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG
designed for the entire range of HDR brachytherapy applications for cancer
treatment. The system provides highest quality and optimal treatment safety,
based on Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG's 35 years of experience in accordance with
German manufacturing standards. The MultiSource® afterloader is the only system
worldwide which can be equipped with an Iridium-192 or Cobalt-60 source, as the
customer wishes. Both sources deliver excellent clinical results.
One major advantage of the Cobalt-60 source is its cost-effectiveness due to a
long half-life time of 5 years in comparison to the half-life time of Iridium-
192 which is 2.5 months. The Cobalt-60 source represents the latest high-end
technology for miniaturized sources on the medical device market.
HDR brachytherapy is a form of radiotherapy in which cancer is treated by
irradiation from a short distance. The radioactive source is placed directly
inside or close to the tumor site. This reduces the risk of damaging the
surrounding healthy tissue, while providing a very high dose of localized
radiation to the tumor cells.
In 2003 Japan has been the first country where the MultiSource® afterloader with
a Cobalt-60 source has been marketed. Since then, encouraged by the clear
advantages of the Cobalt-60 source, around 20 Japanese clinics have decided to
employ the unique system. Other countries followed: Meanwhile globally more than
180 MultiSource® systems are running successfully in 35 countries. In most of
the cases equipped with Cobalt-60.
Based on the decision of the MHLW, the Japanese National Health Insurance will
cover 1% of the actual purchasing costs of a Cobalt-60 source used with the
MultiSource® system per patient. That means that treating only 100 patients, the
hospital will be able to cover the total costs of a Cobalt-60 source.
"HDR brachytherapy is a treatment option for breast- and rectal cancer which
have the highest incidences of all cancers in Japan. We are very happy about the
MHLW's decision because we expect that the reimbursement of the Cobalt-60 source
will lead to a broader application of Cobalt-60 HDR brachytherapy. Japan has
always been one of our most important markets. The positive decision of the MHLW
is a significant opportunity for us to contribute in future even stronger to the
patient-centered care in Japan", said Abel Luzuriaga, Managing Director of
Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG.
Customers who are interested in further information may contact
customer.support(at)bebig.eu or y_tani(at)euro-meditec.co.jp
About Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG
Contributing to saving lives!
Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG is a European-based group active in the medical device
segment of the health care industry.
Its core business is the treatment of cancer using brachytherapy, a special form
of radiation therapy.
Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG is a leader in brachytherapy in Europe. The company
headquarters are in Belgium, with a production facility in Germany and
subsidiaries throughout Europe and in India. In addition, Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG
has a worldwide network of distributors and agents to support the international
marketing of its product line.
The company's products and equipment are intended for use by oncologists,
radiologists, urologists, and medical physicists.
Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG employs more than 150 people.
The company has been listed on the NYSE Euronext Brussels stock exchange since
April 1997 (Euronext: EZBG; Reuters: EZBG.BR; Bloomberg: EZBG:BB).
Contact:
Claudia Mihlan
Head of Marketing
Karolin Riehle
Investor Relations
Tel.: +32 (0) 64 520 808
E-mail: ir(at)bebig.eu
www.bebig.eu
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of
Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and
other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1598417]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 29.03.2012 - 17:42 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 130065
Anzahl Zeichen: 5030
contact information:
Town:
Seneffe
Kategorie:
Business News
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