Message #24 From:
Stock News Bot Date: November 14, 2006 05:30:00 AM
ZILA News Zila, Inc. to Acquire Professional Dental Technologies, Inc.
PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Zila, Inc. (NASDAQ GM: ZILA), announced the execution of a definitive
agreement for the acquisition of Professional Dental Technologies, Inc. (“Pro-Dentec®”)
a privately-held, professional dental products company headquartered in
Batesville, Arkansas. Through its national sales and marketing
organization, Pro-Dentec offers, directly to dental professionals, a
small suite of proprietary, high-margin dental products that complement
Zila’s cancer screening and detection
products. The acquisition price is $34 million, which will be paid in
cash at closing. The closing is expected to occur on or about November
28, 2006 and is subject to normal and customary closing conditions.
“This acquisition completes Zila’s
transformation into a cancer diagnostic company focused initially on
oral cancer,” stated Douglas D. Burkett,
Ph.D., Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Zila, Inc. “Leveraging
Pro-Dentec’s national dental sales force and
its compelling continuing education seminar series, will allow us to
fully realize the large market potential of ViziLite®
Plus and future oral cancer detection products.”
Pro-Dentec focuses on Soft Tissue Management (STM®)
oral care products that it sells directly to dental offices through its
dedicated national sales force. The company’s
national marketing program reaches most of the nation’s
dental offices and includes approximately 115 continuing education
seminars each year that dentists and their staffs pay to attend. These
seminars, which are certified by the American Dental Association and the
Academy of General Dentistry, are ideally suited to train a large number
of dental offices on the importance of oral cancer screening with
ViziLite Plus. Pro-Dentec has annual revenue of approximately $35
million and EBITDA of approximately $5 million.
“With over twenty years of operating history
exclusively serving dental professionals, Pro-Dentec looks forward with
enthusiasm to working with Zila to establish ViziLite Plus as the
standard of care for oral cancer screening,”
stated William T. Evans, Chief Executive Officer and President of
Pro-Dentec.
Zila believes that ProDentec will enable rapid growth of ViziLite Plus
while the OraTest regulatory effort is completed, such that following
its FDA approval, OraTest will be quickly launched through a capable and
growing sales and marketing infrastructure focused on oral cancer
detection.
About Professional Dental Technologies, Inc.
ProDentec®, headquartered in Batesville,
Arkansas, is a leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of products
exclusively to dental professionals for Soft Tissue Management (STM®)
including the Rota-dent® Professional Powered
Brush with MicroAccess Flossing Action, the Pro-Select3®
Piezo-Ultrasonic Scaler System and a suite of pharmaceutical STM®
products for both in-office and home-care use.
AboutZila, Inc.
Zila, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, is a leading cancer diagnostic
company initially focused on oral cancer:
Zila Pharmaceuticals is dedicated to establishing ViziLite®
Plus as the new standard of care for the early detection of oral
abnormalities that could lead to cancer.
Zila Biotechnology is focused on achieving regulatory approval for the
next generation oral cancer diagnostic, OraTest®,
followed by the development of additional applications of its cancer
detection technologies including products for the early detection of
cervical and esophageal cancer.
For more information about Zila, visit www.zila.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These forward-looking statements
are based largely on Zila's expectations or forecasts of future events,
can be affected by inaccurate assumptions and are subject to various
business risks and known and unknown uncertainties, a number of which
are beyond the Company's control. Therefore, actual results could differ
materially from the forward-looking statements contained herein. A wide
variety of factors could cause or contribute to such differences and
could adversely impact revenues, profitability, cash flows and capital
needs. There can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements
contained in this press release will, in fact, transpire or prove to be
accurate. For a more detailed description of these and other cautionary
factors that may affect Zila's future results, please refer to Zila's
Form 10-K for its fiscal year ended July 31, 2006.