emphysema .... big bucks

Great announcement, three months of trials in Melbourne which should establish the unique abilities of the acoustic diagnostics ..... governments would love to screen early for this disease because the cost further down the line to treat people is huge. This is further down the line for PBI, but shows the pipeline has some blockbusters on the way. now for some news on an airways clear commercial deal.

First Non-Invasive Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Diagnostic
Device Commences Clinical Study
13th May 2005: Premier Bionics Limited (ASX: PBI) today announced that its 100% owned
subsidiary, PulmoSonix Pty Ltd, has commenced a clinical study at The Alfred Hospital in
Melbourne to evaluate its Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) early detection
diagnostic device.
The PulmoScreenTM diagnostic device, based on PulmoSonix’s proprietary acoustic
technology, aims to diagnose emphysema at an earlier presymptomatic phase of the
disease. Currently, emphysema is diagnosed late in the course of the disease when
symptoms are present. When the disease is at this advanced stage there are very few
successful treatment options.
Present methods of diagnosing emphysema are expensive and invasive. They are also not
sensitive enough to differentiate emphysema from other forms of COPD (such as chronic
bronchitis).
PulmoScreenTM is designed to offer a non-invasive, rapid, low cost and definitive diagnosis of
COPD at a stage before irreversible lung damage has occurred.
In the case of emphysema, the aim is that PulmoScreenTM can detect the very early stages of
the disease before clinical symptoms are detectable and at a time when lifestyle changes,
including smoking cessation, will have a significant impact on reducing the morbidity and
mortality associated with the disease.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a significant public health issue. Globally,
the cost of COPD is well in excess of $60 billion dollars annually. (In Australia COPD costs
the community more than $500 million annually and approximately 80-90% of cases are
attributable to smoking).
The clinical study is led by Associate Professor Trevor Williams, Clinical Director,
Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine at The Alfred. It aims to
provide proof of concept that the device successfully detects emphysema in a pilot study,
planned to be completed within three months. If successful, larger scale clinical studies are
planned together with the acceleration of discussions regarding the commercialisation of this
device.
The development and clinical study of the COPD early detection device is being supported
by an AusIndustry R&D Start grant.