Eckert & Ziegler Awarded Contract to Produce New Type of Medicine to Fight Pancreatic Cancer

BERLIN, October 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG (ISIN DE0005659700) is engaging with a USA based biotech company to become a contract manufacturer for a new type of cancer treatment and is creating a new production plant for this purpose at its Braunschweig location with financial support provided by the customer.

The cooperation enfolds a brand-new radiotherapy product, currently in development, aimed at treating pancreatic cancer by means of radioimmunotherapy. This form of treatment combines all the benefits of immunotherapy with those offered by radiotherapy. Antibodies transport the source of radiation directly to the cancer cells, enabling the precise deployment of radiation to fight the tumor. Eckert & Ziegler was hand picked as an exclusive contract manufacturer for the clinical phase III trial of the new radiotherapy product in Europe. At its production location in Braunschweig, the radiation specialist couples the antibodies with the radioisotope Yttrium-90 to produce the final active agent. Some 110,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer every year in Europe alone. Pancreatic cancer is considered to be one of the most aggressive and therapy-resistant forms of cancer.

‎"We are delighted to have been selected as a strategic partner for this interesting and hugely important product," says Dr. André Heß, Member of the Executive Board of Eckert & Ziegler and Head of the Radiopharma Segment. "The decision demonstrates how well our Radiopharma Segment, restructured a number of years ago, can support the requirements of innovative developers by the provision of exceptional radiochemical and technical expertise that enables approved pharmaceutical manufacturing, all of which is backed-up by a world-wide logistics infrastructure. We anticipate a large number of similar projects over the coming years and are confident of reinforcing our position as the first port of call for the co-operative development of nuclear medical compounds around the world."

‎Eckert & Ziegler has several radiopharma production locations in Germany and besides fluorine-18-based radiodiagnostics for nuclear imaging (PET), also distributes the approved product Yttriga^®, a precursor to countless radiotherapy products. Globally, Eckert & Ziegler also provides nuclear medicine institutions with synthesis technology and Gallium-68 radionuclide generators.

About Eckert & Ziegler

Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG (ISIN DE0005659700), with more than 700 employees, is one of the world's largest providers of isotope technology for radiation therapy and nuclear medicine.

Contributing to saving lives

Eckert & Ziegler AG, Karolin Riehle, Investor Relations & PR, Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, D-13125 Berlin

Tel.: +49(0)30/941084-138, Fax-112, E-Mail: karolin.riehle@ezag.de, http://www.ezag.com