Zila to Market Its Proprietary Oral Cancer Screening Product, ViziLite Plus, in Russia
September 23 2008 - 1:11PM
Business Wire
Zila, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZILA) today announced that it has selected
DentalMed Russian Alliance, Ltd. to be the exclusive distributor of
ViziLite� Plus with TBlue�, Zila�s proprietary oral cancer
screening product, in Russia and Belarus. DentalMed has begun the
registration process of ViziLite Plus in Russia and will begin
training its sales representatives and preparing the market for the
product launch after the registration process is completed. Terms
of the agreement were not disclosed. The availability of ViziLite
Plus in Russia and Belarus, with a combined population of more than
150 million, expands coverage beyond EU-member countries. Since May
of this year, Zila has selected distributors for ViziLite� Plus in
a number of European countries. �The marketing of ViziLite Plus in
Russia and Belarus represents a solid step in our plan to provide
this life saving product outside the U.S.,� said David Bethune,
chairman and chief executive officer of Zila. "DentalMed has ties
to the Russian National Institute of Adaptation of Marketing
Strategies and has broad experience launching professional dental
products in Russia. We are confident that DentalMed will build
ViziLite Plus into an excellent brand in Russia and Belarus.�
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 we call on,� said Konstantin Sadovski, executive
director of DentalMed Russian Alliance. �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.� 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
DentalMed DentalMed Russian Alliance, Ltd., is a division of
�Dental� Ltd., operating in the Russian dental market since 1999.
The main business of DentalMed, Ltd. is distribution of high
quality dental products in Russia and Belarus as well as training
programs and seminars for dental professionals. For marketing
issues DentalMed Russian Alliance collaborates closely with the
Russian National Institute of Adaptation of Marketing Strategies
and participates with the help of this Institute in many
Conferences, Symposiums and Dental Professional Congresses. 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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