Mr. Ken d'Entremont reports

MEDEXUS DEMONSTRATES COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF GLEOLAN-GUIDED SURGERY FOR HIGH-GRADE GLIOMA

Medexus Pharmaceuticals Inc. today presented data demonstrating a 33-per-cent cost saving with Gleolan (aminolevulinic acid HCl) oral solution, compared with conventional white light surgery, in U.S. patients with high-grade glioma. The data were presented at ISPOR 2023, the annual meeting of the Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (formerly known as the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research) in Boston, Mass.

"These latest data reinforce that the efficiencies from Gleolan clearly justify the costs in all appropriate patients in whom imaging complete resection, or ICR, is a goal of surgery," commented study investigator Andrew E. Sloan, MD, a neurosurgeon at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, Ga.

Use of Gleolan has been associated with improved imaging complete resection (ICR). In the pivotal trial leading to its approval, the ICR rate for Gleolan-guided surgery was 64 per cent, compared with 38 per cent for conventional white light surgery.

"Although Gleolan is additive to the cost of surgery, its use results in lower cost per ICR and therefore is a more efficient use of resources in the surgical resection of high-grade glioma," said Mark Fosdal, DHSc, PA-C, director of scientific communications at Medexus.

The study presented at ISPOR 2023 compared the cost per ICR with Gleolan-guided surgery (in conjunction with blue light) with that of conventional white light surgery in patients with high-grade glioma. In reviewing data from facilities representing 80 per cent of all Gleolan utilization in the United States, the investigators calculated an average adjusted total cost savings per ICR of $38,292 (U.S.) for Gleolan-guided surgery when compared with conventional white light surgery.

About Gleolan

Gleolan is the first and only optical imaging agent approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in people with high-grade glioma (suspected World Health Organization (WHO) grades III and IV on preoperative imaging) as an adjunct for the visualization of malignant tissue during surgery. Its active ingredient, aminolevulinic acid HCl (also known as 5-ALA), is a natural metabolite in the human body that is produced within the hemoglobin metabolic pathway.

When combined with white light and a blue filter, 5-ALA illuminates the brain tumour in a fluorescent pink colour, allowing the neurosurgeon to see suspected malignant high-grade glioma tissue in real time. By providing the neurosurgeon with a better view of the surgical field, Gleolan facilitates a more precise and complete resection (removal) of the tumour.

NX Development Corp., the licensor of Medexus's commercialization rights to Gleolan in the United States, estimates that Gleolan has been used in more than 100,000 surgeries conducted in 42 countries worldwide. In pivotal studies in patients with suspected malignant high-grade glioma, use of Gleolan has been associated with decreased need for reoperation, no increased risk for long-term neurological complications and reduced frequency and time to reintervention.

Adverse reactions occurring in more than 1 per cent of patients in the week following surgery were pyrexia, hypotension, nausea and vomiting.

Gleolan, as discussed in this news release, is approved by the FDA for sale and use in the United States only and is not intended for export outside the United States. Medexus makes no representation that Gleolan, as discussed in this news release, is appropriate for, or authorized for sale to or use by, persons who are not located in the United States. Medexus holds exclusive commercialization rights to Gleolan in the United States.

Gleolan, as discussed in this news release, is a registered U.S. trademark of photonamic GmbH & Co. KG. Solely for convenience, trademarks may appear without the TM or similar symbols. Each such reference should be read as though it appears with the relevant symbol. Any such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the holder or holders of the relevant intellectual property rights will not assert those rights to the fullest extent under applicable law.

About Medexus Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Medexus is a leading specialty pharmaceutical company with a strong North American commercial platform and a growing portfolio of innovative and rare disease treatment solutions. Medexus's current focus is on the therapeutic areas of oncology, hematology, auto-immune diseases and allergy.

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