Healthcare Industry News: SIRT
News Release - January 19, 2010
Sirtex Appoints Michael Mangano to Lead U.S. Operations
WILMINGTON, Mass.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Sirtex, a leading developer of targeted and innovative cancer therapies, announces the appointment of Michael Mangano as President of Sirtex Medical, Inc. Mr. Mangano will be responsible for leading the U.S. business activities including sales of Sirtex’s SIR-Spheres® microspheres, the only FDA-approved microsphere for colorectal cancer that metastasizes to the liver.1, 2 Sirtex Medical, Inc., based in Wilmington, Mass., is the U.S. sales and marketing operations of Sirtex Medical Ltd., headquartered in Australia. Sirtex also operates a manufacturing facility in Wilmington which provides SIR-Spheres microspheres to treating centers across the United States.Prior to joining Sirtex, Mr. Mangano spent 15 years with Boston Scientific where he developed a successful track record in sales and marketing, international business mergers and acquisitions, project management and new business development in the United States, Australia and Japan. He most recently held the position of Director of International Distributor Management and also has a broad background in interventional medicine.
“Given his strong industry experience and success in growing market share, we are excited to have Michael join the Sirtex team,” said Gilman Wong, CEO of Sirtex Medical Ltd. “During fiscal year 2009, we achieved a 28 percent sales volume growth in the United States without increasing sales and marketing expenditures. We believe Michael will continue the solid record of growth and expand the use of this novel therapy to help patients with advanced liver tumors.”
Microsphere therapy, using SIR-Spheres microspheres, is a minimally-invasive treatment in which millions of radioactive spheres are infused via a catheter into the liver. The microspheres selectively target liver tumors with a dose of internal radiation up to 40 times higher than conventional radiotherapy while sparing healthy tissue.
Microsphere therapy is available to patients throughout the U.S. and a full list of treating sites can be found at www.sirtex.com.
1 Manufactured by Sirtex, SIR-Spheres microspheres are the only FDA-approved microsphere for the treatment of colorectal liver metastases.
2 Sirtex Medical Inc.’s SIR-Spheres microspheres are indicated for the treatment of non-resectable metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with intra-arterial FUDR chemotherapy. Information regarding other disease states or agents in combination with this device, that is presented in peer-reviewed literature or medical meetings may differ from the approved USA indications as per the labeling for the product.
About Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) using SIR-Spheres microspheres
Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT), also known as Radioembolization, is a novel treatment for inoperable liver cancer that delivers high doses of radiation directly to the site of tumors. In a minimally-invasive treatment, millions of radioactive SIR-Spheres microspheres are infused via a catheter into the liver where they selectively target liver tumors with a dose of internal radiation up to 40 times higher than conventional radiotherapy, while sparing healthy tissue.
Clinical trials have confirmed that liver cancer patients treated with SIR-Spheres microspheres have response rates higher than with other forms of treatment, resulting in increased life expectancy, greater periods without tumor activity, and improved quality of life. SIRT has been found to shrink liver tumors more than chemotherapy alone.
SIR-Spheres microspheres are approved for use in Australia, the United States of America (FDA approval), and the European Union (CE Mark) and additionally supplied in countries such as Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Israel and Turkey with approximately 13,500 treatments worldwide.
For more information, visit www.sirtex.com.
® SIR-Spheres is a Registered Trademark of Sirtex SIR-Spheres Pty Ltd
Source: Sirtex
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