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Verisante Announces Exclusive Distribution Agreement with Pacifica Handels AG for Switzerland
Thursday, February 21, 2013Company Profile | Follow Company
Vancouver, BC, February 21, 2013--(T-Net)--Verisante Technology, Inc. (TSX-V: VRS, OTCQX: VRSEF, Frankfurt: V3T), a leader in cancer detection technology, announced today that the Company has entered into an exclusive agreement with Pacifica Handels AG to distribute Verisante Aura™ in Switzerland.
“Pacifica Handels AG is an award-winning distributor of medical devices in Switzerland,” said Thomas Braun, President & CEO of Verisante. “Pacifica knows the market for dermatological and skin care devices in Switzerland intimately, and this specialized knowledge in a country that has the third highest skin cancer rate in the world will be extremely helpful with market penetration. Pacifica will distribute Aura™ and also support technical training and servicing in Switzerland.”
Pacifica is based in Baar, Switzerland and distributes innovative products for the world's leading global manufacturer of medical laser and IPL™ systems for use in aesthetics, dermatology, and other applications. Aura™ is a complementary addition to the Company's existing product line.
“There is an epidemic of skin cancer in Switzerland,” said Dr. Heiner Grönewald, Managing Director of Pacifica. “Aura's™ impressive clinical study results show it can quickly and accurately assist in skin cancer diagnosis, and I am confident this tool will be welcomed by doctors and clinics across Switzerland.”
The European medical device market is the second largest in the world, worth over $78 billion and representing 30 per cent of the world market - second only to the United States. Switzerland has a population of nearly 8 million people, and 400 dermatologists serving the country.
According to the Swiss Federal Health Office, Switzerland has the third highest skin cancer rate in the world behind Australia and New Zealand, and has more new melanoma cases per year than any other country in Europe, with 22 new cases recorded annually for every 100,000 people. Over the last 20 years, cases of malignant melanoma in Switzerland have doubled and in 30 percent of cases, melanoma occurs in people before they reach the age of 50.
Verisante Aura™ is indicated for use for the evaluation of skin lesions that may be clinically suspicious for melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and/or basal cell carcinoma when a medical professional chooses to obtain additional information to rule out one of the above conditions before making a final decision to biopsy. Aura™ is a non-invasive optical system that uses Raman spectroscopy to biochemically analyze the skin, providing immediate results. The device will help to automate the current process of diagnosis, allowing rapid scanning of the 20 to 40 skin lesions on at-risk individuals, improving patient outcomes and comfort.
About Pacifica Handels AG
Pacifica Handels AG is a privately owned medical device distributor of innovative solutions for professionals in dermatology, plastic surgery, urology, ENT, neuro-surgery, and gynaecology, founded in Switzerland with head office in Baar.
Pacifica has been serving doctors' offices and hospitals for more than five years and knows the market very well. The Company works closely with its clients, offering continuous consulting before and after sales, training in theory and practice by experienced users and our qualified training staff, and a workshop platform for inter-user communication.
For more information on Pacifica, visit the Company's website at http://www.pacifica-ag.ch
About Verisante Technology, Inc.
Verisante is a medical device company committed to commercializing innovative systems for the early detection of cancer. The Verisante Aura™ for skin cancer detection and the Verisante Core™ series for lung, colon and cervical cancer detection utilize a proprietary cancer detection platform while the operating software and probe technology are unique to each device. The cancer detection platform was developed by the BC Cancer Agency and tested and refined at the Skin Care Centre at Vancouver General Hospital. This exclusive platform technology allows Verisante to develop and offer a range of compact, non-invasive cancer detection devices that offer physicians immediate results for many of the most common cancers. Aura™ has been approved for sale in Canada, Europe and Australia. The Core™ has not yet been approved for sale.
Verisante Aura™ was awarded Popular Science Magazine's “Best of What's New Award” for 2011, and awarded a 2013 Prism Award for Innovation in Photonics. Verisante Core™ was named one of the top 10 cancer breakthroughs of 2011 by the Canadian Cancer Society.
The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.
Company Contact:
Thomas Braun, President & CEO
Verisante Technology, Inc.
Telephone: (604) 605-0507
Email: info@verisante.com
Website: www.verisante.com
Youtube: www.youtube.com/verisante
Twitter: www.twitter.com/verisante
Facebook: www.facebook.com/verisante
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the future commercialization of medical devices, the market demand for these products and the proprietary protections the Company will obtain with regard to the technology, all of which statements are subject to market risks, and the possibility that the Company will not be able to obtain patent protection or obtain sufficient customer demand. These statements are made based upon current expectations and actual results may differ from those projected due to a number of risks and uncertainties.