Press Release
11.11.2008
Foscan®, the palliative drug for treating cancer from biolitec AG, is now covered by Dutch health insurance funds – German patients can now receive in-patient treatment in the Netherlands – German health insurance funds will accept applications for co
Following the lead of their Italian and British counterparts, Dutch health insurance funds have now decided to cover the cost of drug treatment with Foscan® – Six medical research and treatment centers, including the Netherlands Cancer Institute and clinics in Groningen, Utrecht and Leiden, are already treating cancer patients with Foscan®, which is suitable for the treatment of tumors of the head and neck – German patients can now also receive in-patient care in the Netherlands and can apply to have the costs of medication covered by their health insurance providers.
Jena, 11 November 2008 – biolitec AG, which is listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN DE0005213409), recorded another important success with the market penetration of Foscan®, its drug for cancer treatment. The College voor zorgverzekeringen (CVS), an independent committee overseeing the Dutch healthcare system, voted in favor of an application made by eight medical research and treatment centers to allow the cost of treatment with Foscan® to be covered by Dutch health insurance funds. Six of these eight centers are already using the drug to treat patients with head and neck cancer. These are the NKI-AVL (Netherlands Cancer Institute), clinics in Groningen, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Leiden and Amsterdam. Nimwegen and Maastricht will soon join the list.
The drug is already used to treat cancer patients in Italy and Great Britain, where the cost of medication is also covered by health insurers if the treatment is administered on an in-patient basis. Costs are currently only covered in the case of out-patient treatment in Germany. However, German patients now also opt to receive in-patient treatment (with a hospital stay) in the Netherlands and apply to have the cost of medication covered by their health insurance funds. This option may be particularly attractive to German patients living near the Dutch border. This includes the entire Ruhr region, including cities like Mönchengladbach, Duisburg, Essen, Düsseldorf, Oberhausen, Aachen, Krefeld and Münster.
According to Dr. Wolfgang Neuberger, CEO of biolitec AG, "The fact that the Dutch health insurance funds will now cover the cost of treatment with Foscan® means a leap forward in the establishment of our drug as a cancer treatment in Western Europe. The medication costs are to be covered by the relevant public institutions in the Netherlands with immediate effect". Foscan® has been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for the palliative treatment of head and neck cancer in the EU since the end of 2001. Dr. Neuberger adds: "It is my hope that the new regulation regarding cover for treatment with Foscan® by Dutch health insurance funds may also have a positive effect on the rules of cover in Germany".
In the Netherlands, approximately 2,600 people are diagnosed with head and neck cancer each year. Approximately half of patients treated with chemotherapy or surgical procedures will suffer a relapse in the form of a second primary tumor, which can be treated with the medication. The university hospitals in Utrecht and Groningen and the Netherlands Cancer Institute are already treating around 170 cancer patients with Foscan® each year.
Foscan® is a photosensitizing medication, which is activated by exposure to light. It works on the principle that tumors are destroyed when the agent is activated in the tissue, thereby enabling a precise targeting of tumors.
biolitec AG is a global leader in medical laser applications and photodynamic therapy. Foscan® is already approved as a palliative drug to treat head and neck cancer, and is currently used in more than 30 clinics throughout Europe. To date, several thousand patients have been treated with Foscan®. For more information, call 01805/00 20 30 40 (14 cents from Deutsche Telekom landlines, different cell phone rates may apply).
About biolitec
biolitec is the only supplier for photodynamic therapy worldwide that offers all relevant core competencies – photosensitizers, lasers and optical fibers. In addition to specializing in minimally invasive laser treatments and oncological applications, biolitec AG has also acquired unique expertise in the field of aesthetics. biolitec is listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under ISIN DE0005213409. For more information, visit www.biolitec.com
Press contact
Jörn Gleisner
Tel.: +49 (0) 69 / 959083-20
Fax: +49 (0) 69 / 959083-99
E-mail: joern.gleisner@biolitec.com
