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[news1999-2000]
FDA
approves Queen's-discovered new therapy for treatment
of pre-cancerous skin lesions
October 24, 2000
KINGSTON, ON -- DUSA Pharmaceuticals Inc., along with
Berlex Laboratories Inc., announced on Sept. 27, 2000,
that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
granted approval of the commercial BLU-UTM Blue Light
Photodynamic Therapy Illuminator. It is used exclusively
in the Levulan® Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) System
for the treatment of non-hyperkeratotic actinic keratoses
(AKs).
Approximately 40% of squamous cell carcinomas, the second
leading cause of skin cancer deaths, begin as actinic
keratoses, a common, sun-induced, pre-cancerous condition.
AKs are the third most frequent reason for visiting
a dermatologist. They appear on the skin as rough, scaly,
discoloured patches and are most often seen on the face
and scalp. The American Cancer Society, the Skin Cancer
Foundation and the American Academy of Dermatology all
recommend that people with AKs seek immediate treatment.
The Levulan® PDT System combines the application
of a topical solution with BLU-UTM to target and destroy
AKs while leaving healthy skin unharmed. A typical candidate
for this type of therapy is a patient at least 40 years
old, fair-skinned, with more than seven lesions. In
clinical trials, with one or two treatments, 88% of
patients had 75% or more of their lesions cleared. "One
of the greatest benefits to using the Levulan PDT System
is that it causes few side effects and minimizes disruption
of daily activities," says Dr. J. Richard Taylor,
Chief of Dermatology at Miami VA Medical Centre. "This
is particularly important to patients, many of whom
have experienced painful redness and scarring from other
topical or surgical treatments."
DUSA's innovative new treatment traces its origins
to Queen's University through its technology transfer
office, PARTEQ Innovations. The treatment is a result
of research conducted in Kingston by Dr. James Kennedy
of the Department of Oncology at Queen's and Dr.
Roy Pottier of the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical
Engineering at the Royal Military College. In 1991,
PARTEQ licensed the worldwide marketing rights of the
Kennedy-Pottier process to DUSA and its former parent
company.
About
DUSA Pharmaceuticals:
DUSA Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a world leader in topically
or locally applied Photodynamic Therapy and Photodetection
treatments. It is headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts,
with offices in the U.S. and Canada. Berlex Laboratories,
Inc. is the U.S. affiliate of pharmaceutical giant Schering
AG of Germany. In November of 1999, DUSA and Schering
announced a worldwide multi-million-dollar dermatology
marketing, development and supply agreement.
Contact:
John Molloy
President and CEO
PARTEQ Innovations
Phone: (613) 533-2342
Email: molloyj@post.queensu.ca
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