World Congress on Interventional Oncology to Present Live TheraSphere® Administration
Nordion Inc. (TSX: NDN) (NYSE: NDZ), a leading provider of products and
services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, today
announced that for the second consecutive year, organizers of the World
Congress on Interventional Oncology (WCIO) 2013 will host a live
administration of TheraSphere®, Nordion’s Yttrium-90 (Y-90)
glass microspheres for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).
The administration will take place on Saturday, May 18 at noon EST in
the context of an approved Continuing Medical Education program
organized by WCIO. The treatment will be administered to a pre-selected
patient by Dr. Robert Lewandowski, Associate Professor in Radiology, and
his team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Northwestern University) in
Chicago, and broadcast live via closed video link to physicians
attending WCIO. Real-time narration of the procedure will be provided by
Riad Salem, MD; Professor of Radiology, Medicine and Surgery; Chief,
Section of Vascular and Interventional Radiology; Director,
Interventional Oncology; and Vice-Chairman, Image-Guided Therapy
Department of Radiology, Northwestern University.
“Nordion applauds WCIO’s continued initiative to offer valuable and
unique learning opportunities, such as live administrations, through its
Continuing Medical Education program,” said Steve West, Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Targeted Therapies. “This session,
led by Dr. Lewandowski and Dr. Salem, two of the world’s foremost
experts in Y-90 radioembolization for HCC, will provide physicians with
the opportunity to understand the benefits of TheraSphere as a
liver-directed therapy.”
Those viewing the live administration will also see how efficient the
TheraSphere administration system is, providing a rapid outpatient
treatment for HCC patients and ease of use for physicians.
“The Northwestern Team is pleased to once again be performing a live
administration for our interventional oncology colleagues to help expand
their understanding of TheraSphere,” said Dr. Lewandowski. “It is
important that interventional oncologists are educated on all HCC
treatment options, including radioembolization, to help broaden
opportunities for their patients.”
During WCIO, taking place in New York City from May 16-19, visit Nordion
representatives at Booth #7 to talk about TheraSphere, get a
hands-on training opportunity with the TheraSphere Administration
delivery system and preview the upcoming Treatment Window Illustrator
iPad app.
About TheraSphere®
TheraSphere is a liver
cancer therapy that consists of millions of small glass beads (20 to
30 micrometers in diameter) containing radioactive
Y-90. The product is injected by physicians through a catheter into
the artery of the patient’s liver. This allows the treatment to deliver
localized, targeted radiation directly to the tumour.
In the US, TheraSphere is approved for treatment of patients with
unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who can have appropriately
positioned hepatic arterial catheters, and can be used as a bridge to
surgery or transplantation in these patients. It is also approved for
the treatment of HCC patients with partial or branch portal vein
thrombosis or occlusion when clinical evaluation warrants the treatment.
TheraSphere is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
under a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE). HDE approvals are based on
demonstrated safety and probable clinical benefit. However,
effectiveness of the indication for use has not been established.
TheraSphere is approved for use in the European Union and Canada for the
treatment of hepatic neoplasia in patients who have appropriately
positioned arterial catheters.
Common side effects include mild to moderate fatigue, pain and nausea
for about a week. Physicians describe these symptoms as similar to those
of the flu. Some patients experience some loss of appetite and temporary
changes in several blood tests. For details on rare or more severe side
effects, please refer to the TheraSphere package insert/instructions for
use at www.nordion.com/therasphere.
About Nordion Inc.
Nordion Inc. (TSX: NDN) (NYSE: NDZ) is a global health science company
that provides market-leading products used for the prevention, diagnosis
and treatment of disease. We are a leading provider of targeted
therapies, sterilization technologies, and medical isotopes that benefit
the lives of millions of people in more than 60 countries around the
world. Our products are used daily by pharmaceutical and biotechnology
companies, medical-device manufacturers, hospitals, clinics and research
laboratories. Nordion has approximately 500 highly skilled employees
worldwide. Find out more at www.nordion.com
and follow us at http://twitter.com/NordionInc.
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