Zila Adds Four Major European Markets for Its Proprietary Oral Cancer Screening Product, ViziLite Plus
August 27 2008 - 2:00PM
Business Wire
Zila, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZILA) today announced that it has selected
Dentaid to be the exclusive distributor of ViziLite� Plus with
TBlue�, Zila�s proprietary oral cancer screening product, in Spain,
France, Germany and Portugal. Dentaid is the market leader among
dental distributors in France and Spain, and has recently
established a significant presence in the German market. Terms of
the agreement were not disclosed. ViziLite� Plus with TBlue� is now
available to 55% of the people in the Western and Eastern EU-member
countries; Zila previously announced that it had selected
distributors for the product in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece
and Cyprus. �The marketing of ViziLite Plus in Spain, France,
Germany, and Portugal provides a solid core of countries in Europe
with an important new oral cancer screening tool,� said David
Bethune, chairman and chief executive officer of Zila. "We believe
Dentaid�s direct selling force will communicate the unique
attributes of ViziLite Plus to the dental healthcare community and
build it into a leading brand in these markets.� ViziLite� Plus
with TBlue�, Zila's flagship product for the early detection of
oral abnormalities that could lead to cancer, is the first and only
adjunctive medical device cleared by the FDA for use in a
population at increased risk for oral cancer. �ViziLite Plus is a
much needed oral cancer screening product for the practitioners
that we call on,� said Enric Masdevall, president and chief
executive officer of Dentaid Europe. �Given that 25% of oral
cancers occur in people who do not smoke and have no other
behavioral risk factors, it is imperative that every adult,
particularly those at high risk for oral cancer, be screened at
least once a year. ViziLite Plus is a proven technology and will be
a valuable aid in screening for precancerous lesions and early
stage cancers before they reach more severe stages.� The combined
population of Spain, France, Germany and Portugal exceeds 195
million. About Oral Cancer and ViziLite Plus Oral cancer is the
sixth leading cause of cancer worldwide, and in the U.S., one
person dies every hour from the disease. According to American
Cancer Society data, nearly as many women will be diagnosed with
oral cancer as with cervical cancer this year. The key to reducing
the impact of this disease is early detection, yet prior to the
introduction of ViziLite Plus the only screening tools available
were the manual and visual exam, which helps explain why the
mortality and morbidity associated with oral cancer have not
markedly improved in the past 40 years. Worldwide clinical trials
have demonstrated that the conventional visual/tactile examination
may fail to identify up to 40% of cancers and precancers. In other
studies the addition of ViziLite Plus to conventional examination
has been shown in the literature to result in identification of
100% of pathological lesions. ViziLite Plus, an oral screening
technology that utilizes a chemiluminescent light source (ViziLite)
and a patented vital tissue dye (TBlue), helps dentists and dental
technicians identify and evaluate abnormalities in the mouth that
could potentially harbor pathologic changes. The ViziLite Plus exam
takes only minutes and is totally painless and non-invasive. Oral
Cancer Risk factors: age - all adults tobacco use - particularly if
combined with heavy alcohol consumption heavy alcohol consumption
excessive sun exposure to the lips sexually transmitted virus
exposure (HPV) A recent report in the New England Journal of
Medicine suggests that exposure to the sexually transmitted human
papillomavirus number 16 (HPV16), causes oropharyngeal cancer (a
type of oral cancer), and may help explain the increasing incidence
of the disease in younger people. About Dentaid Dentaid is a
recognized leader with international prestige in the field of oral
hygiene. Dentaid was created in 1980 with a clear mission to
investigate, develop and commercialize products aimed at
preventing, diagnosing and treating diseases produced by dental
bacterial plaque, by either physical, chemical or biological means.
The aim of Dentaid is to improve the oral health of the general
population by creating products that not only offer the best
solutions, but that are backed scientifically by dental
professionals. About Zila, Inc. Zila, Inc., is a fully integrated
oral diagnostic company dedicated to the prevention, detection and
treatment of oral cancer and periodontal disease. ViziLite� Plus
with TBlue�, the company's flagship product for the early detection
of oral abnormalities that could lead to cancer, is the first and
only adjunctive medical device cleared by the FDA for use in a
population at increased risk for oral cancer. In addition, Zila
designs, manufactures and markets a suite of proprietary products
sold exclusively and directly to dental professionals for
periodontal disease, including the Rotadent� Professional Powered
Brush, the Pro-Select Platinum� ultrasonic scaler and a portfolio
of oral pharmaceutical products for both in-office and home-care
use. 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 affect revenue, 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,
2007 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2008. For more
information about the company and its products, please visit
www.zila.com.
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