From the January/February 2022 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
ER expression varies both within the primary tumor and across different lesions, making it challenging for oncologists to base clinical decisions on biopsy results that represent only the sampled area of the tumor. FDA-approved in December 2020, Cerianna provides a whole-body view of ER positive lesions to help determine a more informed diagnosis for the patient, and form potentially more targeted and individualized treatment plans. This spares patients from having to undergo inappropriate or less effective therapies.
“Since we know that ER expression can change with time and treatment, imaging with 18F-fluoroestradiol at critical decision points could help clinicians predict response to endocrine therapy and select optimal treatment timing and sequencing,” said Dr. Hannah Linden, breast medical oncologist at UW Medicine, University of Washington Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.
Its distribution earlier this year also made news when the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System published the incorrect reimbursement rate for the radiopharmaceutical, marking payment as $0.752 per millicurie instead of $608.33 per millicurie.
Under the terms of the agreement, Zionexa will transfer its 24 employees in France and the U.S. to GE Healthcare, which will hire approximately 70 more dedicated employees for its U.S. Pharmaceutical Diagnostics team in Massachusetts.
Financial details were not disclosed.
Olympus acquires urological device maker Medi-Tate
Olympus Corporation acquired Medi-Tate, an Israeli manufacturer of urological technology, for $260 million in May.
The addition of Medi-Tate’s flagship product, iTind, expands Olympus’ stake in the market of in-office treatments for benign prostatic hyperplasia. CE marked and holding FDA de Novo authorization, iTind is designed as a minimally invasive solution for BPH, a common condition in aging men that is the most common cause of lower urinary tract infections.
"iTind preserves sexual function and continence and has a low adverse event profile. Leaving no permanent implant, the iTind procedure does not hinder future treatment options. iTind involves no heating or removal of prostate tissue," Scott Goldstein, men's health director of marketing for Olympus America Inc., told HCB News.
iTind is a temporarily implanted nitinol device that is placed in the prostate in a folded configuration and slowly expands and exerts gentle pressure at three precise points to reshape the prostatic urethra and bladder neck. After five to seven days, the solution is removed and leaves a wider opening through which patients can urinate more easily to relieve BPH symptoms. No hospital stays are required.
