DRAXIMAGE Presents New Data on Infection Imaging at EANM 2003; Poster Presentation Identified by EANM as ''Meeting Highlight''.Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers EANM EANM European Association of Nuclear Medicine 2003 AMSTERDAM, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 3, 2003 DRAXIMAGE Inc., the radiopharmaceutical radiopharmaceutical /ra·dio·phar·ma·ceu·ti·cal/ (-fahr?mah-soo´ti-k'l) a radioactive pharmaceutical, nuclide, or other chemical used for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. subsidiary of DRAXIS Health, Inc. (Nasdaq:DRAX)(TSX TSX Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE before April, 2002) TSX Transfer from Stack Pointer to Index TSX True Space Extension :DAX) presented new data on infection imaging at the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) Annual Congress in Amsterdam, on August 27th. Dr. George Desypris, Director of Clinical Development, DRAXIMAGE, presented data on "The Effect of Dilution of Reconstituted INFECTION(R) on Whole Body Biodistribution and Uptake at Site of Infection in the Rat." The paper was also cited as one of the "conference highlights" during the meeting's final summary lecture. The presentation discussed 99m Tc-ciprofloxacin (INFECTON(R)), which is currently in Phase II clinical development by DRAXIMAGE as an important new infection imaging agent. The poster presented the results of an investigation that examined significant differences in liver uptake levels that have previously been seen between clinical and rodent studies. One difference singled out during these investigations is that the excessive use of a saline diluent diluent /dil·u·ent/ (dil´oo-int) 1. causing dilution. 2. an agent that dilutes or renders less potent or irritant. dil·u·ent adj. Serving to dilute. n. in some rodent studies may lead to a change in pH and that the observed high liver uptake of INFECTON in rodents is an artifact attributable to such pH changes. "The significance of this poster presentation is that it answers the question asked by many in the scientific community as to why some investigators report liver uptake for INFECTON while others do not" said Dr. Richard Flanagan, President of DRAXIMAGE. "The results of DRAXIMAGE's investigation indicate that INFECTON should not be diluted after reconstitution to avoid any changes in the biodistribution pattern." INFECTON combines the widely used antibiotic, ciprofloxacin ciprofloxacin /cip·ro·flox·a·cin/ (sip?ro-flok´sah-sin) a synthetic antibacterial effective against many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria; used as the hydrochloride salt. cip·ro·flox·a·cin n. , with Technetium technetium (tĕknē`shēəm) [Gr. technetos=artificial], artificially produced radioactive chemical element; symbol Tc; at. no. 43; mass no. of most stable isotope 98; m.p. 2,200°C;; b.p. 4,877°C;; sp. gr. 11. (99mTc), the most commonly used radioisotope radioisotope: see radioactive isotope. Radioisotope (biology) A radioactive isotope used in studying living systems, such as in the investigation of metabolic processes. in nuclear medical imaging. DRAXIMAGE's INFECTON(TM) Kit for the preparation of 99mTc-ciprofloxacin is a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical that has the potential to selectively distinguish infection from inflammation by binding directly with an essential component of the bacterial DNA replication system. About DRAXIMAGE Inc. DRAXIMAGE discovers, develops, manufactures and markets diagnostic imaging and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals for the global marketplace. Products currently marketed by DRAXIMAGE include a line of lyophilized ly·oph·i·lize tr.v. ly·oph·i·lized, ly·oph·i·liz·ing, ly·oph·i·liz·es To freeze-dry (blood plasma or other biological substances). [lyophil(ic) + -ize. technetium-99m kits used in nuclear imaging procedures, a line of imaging and therapeutic products labeled with a variety of isotopes including radioiodine radioiodine /ra·dio·io·dine/ (-i´o-din) any radioactive isotope of iodine, particularly 123I, 125I, and 131I; used in diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disease and in scintiscanning. , and BrachySeed(TM), a next-generation brachytherapy implant for treating prostate cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. . DRAXIMAGE has several products in late-stage development, including three technetium-99m-based diagnostic imaging products: Fibrimage(R) for imaging deep vein thrombosis A blood clot (thrombos) in a vein deep within the muscle, typically in the thigh or calf. It is caused by disease or the lack of activity such as sitting for hours at a computer screen. currently in Phase III, Amiscan(TM) for the early diagnosis of acute myocardial infarct currently in Phase II, and INFECTON(R), currently in Phase II for imaging infection. About DRAXIS Health Inc. DRAXIS Health Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company involved in the development, production, marketing and distribution of therapeutic and diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals through DRAXIMAGE Inc. and in the provision of pharmaceutical contract manufacturing services, specializing in liquid and freeze-dried injectables and other sterile products through DRAXIS Pharma Inc. DRAXIS Health employs nearly 400 staff and reported sales in 2002 in excess of US$38 million. About EANM The European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) was established in 1985 by the merging of the "Society of Nuclear Medicine - Europe" and the "European Nuclear Medicine Society". Its members are physicians, scientists, technologists or other persons working in Nuclear Medicine or related fields. Except for historical information, this news release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995 as amended, which involve risk and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made. Such factors include, but are not limited to, timely regulatory approval of the Company's products, the ability to obtain and enforce effective patents, the establishment and maintenance of new corporate alliances, compliance with appropriate governmental regulations, and other risks detailed from time-to-time in the Company's filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission and Canadian securities authorities. The Company does not undertake to update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, later events or developments. |
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