Message #19 From:
Stock News Bot Date: October 17, 2006 07:44:00 AM
ISRY News Chicago Prostate Cancer Center First in World to Reach 100 Patient Implants Using Cesium-131(TM), Isotope From IsoRay Medical, Inc.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Chicago Prostate Cancer Center (CPCC) reached a major milestone in
prostate brachytherapy (radioactive seed implantation) October 4, 2006,becoming the world’s first cancer center
to treat 100 patients using Cesium-131™, a
powerful new medical isotope developed and manufactured by IsoRay
Medical, Inc.
CPCC is one of the few centers in the United States dedicated solely to
the treatment of prostate cancer using brachytherapy. It is also one of
the busiest implant centers in the country with over 8,000 patient
implants in the last nine years.
CPCC founder and principal, Brian Moran, MD, said Cesium-131 represents
the first major leap in radioactive seed implantation.
“We are a center of excellence, and we’re
constantly pursuing new ideas and technologies. Cesium has adapted well
to our philosophy,” said Moran. “Our
preliminary analysis of patients we have treated using Cesium-131 is
that they experience more limited side effects that are shorter in
duration when compared to other isotopes.”
“It is fitting that CPCC is the first center
to reach this plateau. Under Dr. Moran’s
leadership, CPCC was one of the first centers in the United States to
embrace Cesium-131 when it was introduced in 2004.”
said Roger Girard, chairman and CEO of IsoRay, Inc.
Cesium-131 is a proprietary product of IsoRay, Inc. (“IsoRay”)
(OTCBB:ISRY), an innovative medical technology company based in
Richland, WA.
Now available in over 50 locations across the United States, Cesium-131
delivers its therapeutic radiation faster than other types of seeds --
Palladium-103 and Iodine-125. Due to its unique characteristics,
Cesium-131 patients receive a higher initial dosage of radiation, which
attacks and kills cancer cells more quickly. Its short half-life means
that radiation leaves the body sooner than other isotope options.
Seed brachytherapy -- where seeds are implanted in and around a
cancerous tumor -- is a proven and common treatment for prostate cancer,
with 50,000 to 60,000 procedures performed each year. The centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services have established a specific reimbursement
code for Cesium-131, and most insurance companies cover the
brachytherapy procedure.
Although Cesium-131 seeds have been used exclusively for the treatment
of prostate cancer to date, the technology received Food and Drug
Administration 510(k) clearance in March 2003 for the treatment of any
malignant disease, including cancers of the head and neck, brain,
breast, prostate, and other organs.
Founded in 1997, CPCC is located in Westmont, Illinois, a suburb of
Chicago. Its recently opened, 35,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art
facility in the United States is dedicated solely to the treatment of
prostate cancer with brachytherapy.
CPCC is located at 815 Pasquinelli Drive in Westmont. For more
information, visit www.prostateimplant.com.
IsoRay, Inc., through its subsidiary, IsoRay Medical, Inc., is the sole
producer of the Cesium-131 brachytherapy seed, used to treat prostate
and other cancers. The Cesium-131 seed offers a significantly shorter
half-life than the two other isotopes commonly used for brachytherapy,
which results in a substantially faster delivery of therapeutic
radiation, lower probability of cancer cell survival and reduction of
the longevity of common brachytherapy side effects. IsoRay is based in
Richland, Washington. More information is available about IsoRay at www.isoray.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this news release about IsoRay’s
future expectations, including: the advantages of our Cesium131seed,
future production capabilities, development of protocols for the use of
our Cesium131 seed to treat cancers other than
prostate cancer, the level of market share our seed may attain, and all
other statements in this release, other than historical facts, are
forward-looking statements. It is important to note that actual results
and ultimate corporate actions could differ materially from those in
such forward-looking statements based on such factors as physician
acceptance, training and use of our products, our ability to
successfully manufacture, market and sell our products, our ability to
manufacture our products in sufficient quantities to meet demand within
required delivery time periods while meeting our quality control
standards, and our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights,
and other risks detailed from time to time in IsoRay's reports filed
with the SEC.
