PEB
12/03/2013 09:29
DIRECTOR
REL: 0929 HRS Pacific Edge Limited
DIRECTOR: PEB: PED USA Appoints Director to US Board
11 March 2013
Pacific Edge Appoints Director to US Board ahead of anticipated Cxbladder
launch
Pacific Edge has taken a further significant step in the commercialisation in
the United States of its ground breaking cancer diagnostic test, Cxbladder,
with a high calibre appointment to its US subsidiary, Pacific Edge
Diagnostics USA, PEDUSA Board of Directors.
Bruce Nogales has extensive experience in life sciences in the United States
and international markets and joins the governance team for the Pacific Edge
US subsidiary, as a non-executive director. PEDUSA, led by Chief Executive
Officer Jackie Walker, is in the final stages of gaining regulatory clearance
for its purpose built laboratory in Hershey, Pennsylvania ahead of the
anticipated launch of Pacific Edge's Cxbladder in the US market in early
2013.
Pacific Edge Chairman Chris Swann says the Company is delighted to have
attracted a non-executive director with the biomedical commercialisation
experience of Bruce Nogales whose most recent role was as Senior Vice
President and General Manager of Talecris Plasma Resources, the largest
business segment of the US-based Talecris Biotheraputics group. Bruce has
been involved as an executive in several biomedical companies in both the US
and Europe.
Over the six years with Talecris, Bruce was responsible for designing and
launching a new international business platform, including a European
distribution network for the group, the establishment of a plasma collection
network in the United States and the successful Initial Public Offering (IPO)
of Talecris Biotheraputics in 2009. Prior to Talecris, Bruce was senior
executive responsible for Aventis Behring's commercial operations in
Asia-Pacific, Latin America and emerging markets.
"Bruce brings to PEDUSA a deep understanding of the requirements for the
successful introduction of new medical and biomedical products in the US,
largest healthcare market in the world. Based in the US, Jackie Walker and
Bruce Nogales in their executive and governance roles respectively, will lead
and help govern the roll-out of this exciting new business commercialising
Cxbladder in the United States."
Bruce Nogales joins Chris Swann the Chair of Pacific Edge, the New Zealand
based parent, along with David Band a non-executive Director of Pacific Edge
and the CEO of Pacific Edge, David Darling on the governance board of PEDUSA.
Cxbladder, a non-invasive test for the, cost effective and accurate detection
of the presence of bladder cancer, is the first commercial application for
Pacific Edge following 10 years research into genetic markers. The Company
has several products in development underpinned by an extensive portfolio of
intellectual property. Many of these patents are now issuing in key
geographies.
Cxbladder is now commercially available to clinicians and physicians in New
Zealand and Australia and is expected to be commercially available in Spain
and the US early this year 2013.
For further information please contact
David Darling
Chief Executive Officer
Pacific Edge Limited
P: +64 (3) 4795800
ABOUT PACIFIC EDGE
Pacific Edge Limited (NZX: PEB) is a New Zealand based cancer diagnostic
company specialising in the discovery and commercialisation of diagnostic and
prognostic technology for the early detection and monitoring of cancer.
Products in development and in clinical trials are accurate and simple to use
genomic and proteomic tools for the earlier detection, improved
characterisation and better management of gastric, bladder, colorectal
cancers and melanoma. The company has recently completed and released its
first product for the detection of bladder cancer, Cxbladder and is actively
marketing the product to urologists in New Zealand, Australia and soon to be
Spain and Portugal and the US.
www.pacificedge.co.nz
ABOUT PACIFIC EDGE DIAGNOSTICS
Pacific Edge takes its exciting cancer detection tests to market through its
wholly owned subsidiaries, Pacific Edge Diagnostics NZ Ltd and Pacific Edge
Diagnostics USA Ltd, and selected commercial partners in Australia and Spain,
Healthscope and Oryzon respectively.
www.pacificedgedx.com
ABOUT Cxbladder
Cxbladder is a non-invasive, accurate test that enables the early detection
of bladder cancer from a small volume of urine. It provides general
practitioners and urologists with a quick, cost effective and accurate
measure of the presence of the cancer, and provides urologists with the
opportunity to reduce their reliance on the need for invasive tests such as
cystoscopy. The recently completed multi-centre international clinical study
recruited 467 patients from Australia and New Zealand. Results show that
Cxbladder outperforms all of the benchmark technologies in the trial and
detected nearly all of the tumours of concern to a urologist; greater than
95% of all late stage and high grade tumours.
www.cxbladder.com
ABOUT BLADDER CANCER
Globally, bladder cancer has the 9th highest incidence and the 4th highest
incidence for men. One of the early symptoms of bladder cancer is the
presence of blood in the urine, haematuria. People with haematuria often
present to their general practitioner before being referred on to a
urologist.
There are a number of 'at risk' occupations that have shown a much higher
incidence of bladder cancer. Fire fighters and fire control officers have
shown in a US study to have a 2x incidence of bladder cancer over non fire
fighters. Smoking is a significant contributing factor (over 50% in males
and 33% in females, approximately 1 of every 2 new incidences of bladder
cancer is linked to smoking). Exposure to certain industrial chemicals or
carcinogens increases risks for some occupations e.g. hairdressers, painters,
printers, fire fighters and metal workers, chemical engineers. Finally,
incidence increases with age so the older you are, the greater the potential
for bladder cancer.
Bladder cancer has a very high recurrence rate of approximately 50%-70% with
up to 30% of these recurring as later stage tumours. This is a higher
recurrence than for skin cancer! However, bladder cancers are highly
treatable, especially if detected in the early stages. If diagnosed early
there is a much higher probability of survival for early stage tumours
relative to later stage tumours. This makes timely and regular surveillance
and monitoring of this cancer a key element of the clinical process and of
the individual's annual healthcare plan.
End CA:00234038 For:PEB Type:DIRECTOR Time:2013-03-12 09:29:46
