A Medical Device Daily

Saying that the test is better suited to the local culture than is mammography, Power3 Medical Products (The Woodlands, Texas) has introduced its BC-SeraPro blood test for breast cancer to a dozen Middle Eastern countries, including Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

While millions of American women receive mammography screenings each year as a means of early detection of breast cancer, many women in the Middle East avoid the procedure, often because of strong underlying cultural bias.

“Fully 70% of worldwide breast cancer cases occur in developing countries,” said Dr. Essam Sheta, a researcher at Power3, a company focused on the development of diagnostic tests for the early detection of breast cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. “Lack of early detection and diagnosis is the basis for this high incidence rate.”

Sheta said that while doctors in the U.S. use mammography, ultrasound and MRI to diagnosis women with breast cancer, “these procedures are available, but scarce in developing countries.”

The most prevalent cancer among women, breast cancer affects about 1.2 million women worldwide.

Power3’s BC-SeraPro test analyzes biomarkers — specific proteins, in a woman’s blood serum — to detect breast cancer.

In addition to providing these Middle East with a diagnostic test it said is “more suitable for their culture,” Power3 said the test will be a supplement to traditional mammography and MRI.

The company said that over the past 10 years, half the number of American women who had annual mammograms received false positive results, “often leading to painful and unnecessary breast tissue biopsies.”

Power3 said a sensitive blood serum diagnostic test such as BC-SeraPro “can help curtail the anxiety generated from false positive results that lead to unnecessary breast biopsy.”

Breast cancer specialists envision the test as a supplement to be performed in conjunction with the mammography. If the mammogram is positive and the test indicates a positive result, then the patient will proceed to MRI or biopsy.

“We believe the test provides a promising alternative for the detection of breast cancer at its earlier stages, thereby alleviating the problems that so many Middle Eastern women face because of late-stage detection,” Sheta said.

Medicexchange to acquire Chinese business

MGT Capital Investments (New York), a holding company focused on the healthcare information technology sector, said that its subsidiary, Medicexchange (London), has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire the Chinese online business Maydeal.com.

The acquisition of Maydeal.com will extend Medicexchange’s current on-line and off-line business offerings in China. The combined business will provide one of the largest online sources of Medical products, news and services to Chinese Medical Imaging professionals, hospitals and manufacturers.

Medicexchange provides Western medical equipment manufacturers with a service to enter the Chinese marketplace, including regulatory, translation, marketing and sales services. Medicexchange has existing offices in Beijing and the acquisition of Maydeal.com will extend this with offices and teams in Shanghai.

MGT Capital Investments is a holding company focused on investments in the global healthcare information technology market. The company has two subsidiaries, Medicexchange PLC and Medicsight PLC.

Medicexchange provides medical imaging professionals with a global web portal containing an online sales, jobs and information channel for diagnostic, treatment and surgery planning solutions. This combined with a variety of relevant clinical papers, training materials and content gives these professionals access to information and products that they otherwise would have difficulty accessing.

Medicsight is a UK-based, research driven developer of computer-aided detection (CAD) and image analysis software for the medical imaging market. The CAD software automatically highlights suspicious areas on computerized tomography (CT) scans of the colon and lung, aiding in the identification, measurement and analysis of the early indicators of disease.

Ingen signs with Asian distributor

Ingen Technologies (Yucaipa, California) reported signing a distribution agreement with Progressive International Holding Co. (PIHK) in Hong Kong to distribute Oxyview in Taiwan, China, Japan and Korea.

PIHK’s associate company, Progressive Group Inc., was founded in 1983 and is one of the major distributors of clinical diagnostic systems, medical devices and point-of-care products in Taiwan.

To pursue the potential business opportunity in China and fully capitalize its sales and marketing experience of more than 20 years, PGI established PIHK in Hong Kong in 2005. PIHK utilizes the experience, expertise and connections of PGI to expand its product portfolio in patient oxygen gas flow monitoring devices in the China, Japan and Korea markets.

The distribution agreement calls for a monthly minimum of 10,000 Oxyview units to be purchased by PIHK during a five-year period. PIHK has submitted the application to the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration for registration of the sales certificate.

Distribution accord for Catrix wound dressing

Lescarden (New York) said it has entered into an agreement with NanoASIA (Bangkok, Thailand), granting the company a 10-year exclusive license to market Lescarden’s Catrix Wound Dressing in Thailand and Malaysia.

The companies are collaborating to complete the required marketing applications to local regulatory authorities, with marketing of the Catrix dressing expected to begin in 4Q08.

Catrix Wound Dressing is a processed bovine cartilage product in the form of a fine, white powder. The dressing is approved by the FDA for the management of chronic skin wounds — including decubitus ulcers, venous stasis ulcers and diabetic ulcers — as well as second-degree burns and post-radiation dermatitis.

Clinical studies conducted on patients suffering from bed sores have demonstrated Catrix’s ability to assist patients who had previously been unresponsive to standard wound care treatments.