TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer Diagnostics announced today
that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its complexed
prostate specific antigen (cPSA) test on the Bayer Immuno1(R) as an aid in the
detection of prostate cancer.
"This approval of cPSA by the FDA is an important step in the
commercialization of this new marker. We also note that recent published
literature on this new marker demonstrates that cPSA can replace traditional
total PSA testing as an aid in detecting prostate cancer," said Dr. William
Wallen, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Bayer Diagnostics.
Prostate Cancer
Serum PSA has proven to be an extremely useful marker for early detection
of prostate cancer and in monitoring patients for disease progression and the
effects of treatment. Prostate cancer is currently the most prevalent form of
cancer in men and the second leading cause of male cancer death in the United
States. The American Cancer Society estimates that 180,400 men in the United
States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2000, with 31,900 deaths
attributable to prostate cancer. Deaths from prostate cancer are declining
and prostate cancer survival rates are increasing. The survival rate for all
stages combined has increased from 67% to 89% over the past 20 years. This
increase in survival may be attributed to increasing awareness of prostate
cancer among practicing physicians and the general public, and increasing
interest in cancer detection as a result of PSA testing with subsequent
earlier diagnoses.
Bayer Diagnostics
Bayer Diagnostics offers FDA cleared manual and automated tests for PSA
and complexed PSA. With more than 7,500 employees worldwide and 1999 sales of
close to $1.8 billion, Bayer Diagnostics (http://www.bayerdiag.com), based in
Tarrytown, New York, USA, is one of the largest diagnostic businesses in the
world. The organization supports customers in 100 countries through an
extensive portfolio of central laboratory, self-testing, nucleic acid, point
of care and critical care diagnostics systems and services for use in the
assessment and management of health, including the areas of cardiovascular
disease, oncology, virology, women's health and diabetes. Bayer Diagnostics
is a part of the worldwide Bayer Group, a $29 billion international life
sciences, polymers and specialty chemicals group based in Leverkusen, Germany.
Bayer Diagnostics' global headquarters in the United States operates as part
of Bayer Corporation of Pittsburgh, a research-based company with major
businesses in health care, life science and chemicals.
SOURCE Bayer Diagnostics
 back to top
Related links:
http://www.bayerdiag.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/092575.html or fax,
800-758-5804, ext. 092575
CONTACT:
Andrea Johnston of Bayer Diagnostics,
914-524-3346
|
