Zila, Inc., international provider of healthcare and biotechnology products and services for dental/medical professionals and consumers, has announced that details on the science, performance and market potential of the Company's newly acquired ViziLite(TM) oral examination device have been posted as a slide show at www.zila.com. Using the ViziLite Test Kit in combination with a conventional visual oral mucosal examination, healthcare providers can improve the identification, evaluation and monitoring of oral mucosal abnormalities in those at increased risk for oral cancer.
The patented single-use ViziLite Test Kit will be distributed to U.S. dentists exclusively by Patterson Dental Supply, a subsidiary of Patterson Dental Company, with an expected marketing launch at the Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting, Feb. 22-24, 2002. The product will sell for under $20. Zila intends to develop other international markets for the product, among both dentists and physicians.
The importance of early detection of oral cancer, a disease that kills one American every hour, was underscored at Zila's annual shareholder meeting on Dec. 5. Three leading figures in cancer research and oral cancer advocacy presented data and observations. Those speakers were: David Sidransky, MD, Director of the Johns Hopkins Head and Neck Cancer Center (named America's Best Oncologist by Time magazine); Samuel D. Bernal, MD, PhD, Attending Physician and Professor of Medicine, UCLA; and Brian R. Hill, oral cancer survivor and Founder/Director of the Oral Cancer Foundation ( www.OralCancerFoundation.org ).
"With oral cancer, early detection is critical," said Ralph Green, DDS, Vice President and General Manager of Zila Professional Pharmaceuticals. "The ViziLite Test Kit will provide dentists and physicians with an inexpensive initial screening tool to detect abnormalities in those at risk. As this product enters wide use, Zila will continue to pursue marketing clearance for its OraTest(R) oral cancer detection product, which should, in countries where both are approved, complement the ViziLite test." The OraTest product is the subject of an on-going Phase III clinical trial.
