On August 8, 2016 Aeterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ: AEZS) (TSX: AEZ) (the "Company") reported that it is expanding its promotion of APIFINY, the only cancer-specific, non-PSA blood test available to assess the risk for the presence of prostate cancer, into the important Florida market pursuant to its exclusive promotional agreement with Armune BioScience, Inc. ("Armune"), the owner of the product (Press release, AEterna Zentaris, AUG 8, 2016, View Source [SID:1234514371]). The expansion into Florida follows Armune’s receipt of a clinical laboratory license from the State of Florida.
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"Our sales and marketing teams are well positioned to leverage the opportunity in the Florida market. We believe APIFINY provides significant value in aiding clinicians to more accurately determine the optimal clinical pathway for men at risk of prostate cancer by means of its non-PSA based measurement of risk for the presence of prostate cancer. APIFINY helps meet the needs of achieving value in today’s shifting healthcare environment that involves improving outcomes and patient experiences while lowering overall costs," commented Jude Dinges, Chief Commercial Officer of the Company.
"We are excited to enter the Florida market with the recent approval of our laboratory license by the State of Florida," said David Esposito, President and Chief Executive Officer of Armune. "With over 7,000 tests ordered since the launch of APIFINY, we anticipate significant demand being generated from the Florida market. Given the current concerns of PSA testing throughout the world, APIFINY is well positioned to offer clinicians additional information in the assessment of prostate cancer risk. In addition, we are confident that APIFINY will help to address our healthcare system’s demand for improved outcomes at lower costs."
About Prostate Cancer
Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men. The American Cancer Society predicted that 220,800 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States would occur in 2015, that there would be 27,540 prostate cancer deaths during the year and that one man in seven would be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. Approximately 60% of prostate cancer is diagnosed in men aged 65 or older, and it is rare before age 40. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, behind only lung cancer. Prostate cancer can be a serious disease, but most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from it. In fact, more than 2.9 million men in the United States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.
About APIFINY
APIFINY is the only cancer-specific, non-PSA blood test that may aid clinicians in the assessment of risk for the presence of prostate cancer. APIFINY technology measures specific biological markers known to be associated with the immune system’s response to prostate cancer and is based on the measurement of eight prostate-cancer-specific autoantibodies in human serum. These autoantibodies are produced and amplified by the immune system in response to the presence of prostate cancer cells. The autoantibodies are stable and, because of their amplification, are likely to be abundant and easy to detect, especially with small tumors characteristic of early-stage cancers. The autoantibody markers span a range of biological functions integral to prostate cancer progression. APIFINY is offered as a lab developed test by Armune BioScience in its CLIA regulated laboratory located in Ann Arbor, MI.
About Armune BioScience
Armune is a medical diagnostics company that develops and commercializes unique proprietary technology exclusively licensed from the University of Michigan for diagnostic and prognostic tests for cancer. The Armune BioScience Laboratory is a commercial reference laboratory, certified and regulated by the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) law established in 1988. The laboratory’s CLIA Certificate permits it to perform APIFINY and other high-complexity medical tests. Armune, a private company, has a corporate headquarters in Kalamazoo, MI and a research and commercial laboratory in Ann Arbor, MI. For more information, visit www.armune.com.