News

Interventional Oncology Team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital to perform
hepatocellular carcinoma liver-directed treatment with live narration

OTTAWA, Ontario–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May. 16, 2013 — Nordion Inc. (TSX: NDN) (NYSE: NDZ), a leading provider of products and services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, today announced that for the second consecutive year, organizers of the World Congress on Interventional Oncology (WCIO) 2013 will host a live administration of TheraSphere^®, Nordion’s Yttrium-90 (Y-90) glass microspheres for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The administration will take place on Saturday, May 18 at noon EST in the context of an approved Continuing Medical Education program organized by WCIO. The treatment will be administered to a pre-selected patient by Dr. Robert Lewandowski, Associate Professor in Radiology, and his team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Northwestern University) in Chicago, and broadcast live via closed video link to physicians attending WCIO. Real-time narration of the procedure will be provided by Riad Salem, MD; Professor of Radiology, Medicine and Surgery; Chief, Section of Vascular and Interventional Radiology; Director, Interventional Oncology; and Vice-Chairman, Image-Guided Therapy Department of Radiology, Northwestern University.

“Nordion applauds WCIO’s continued initiative to offer valuable and unique learning opportunities, such as live administrations, through its Continuing Medical Education program,” said Steve West, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Targeted Therapies. “This session, led by Dr. Lewandowski and Dr. Salem, two of the world’s foremost experts in Y-90 radioembolization for HCC, will provide physicians with the opportunity to understand the benefits of TheraSphere as a liver-directed therapy.”

Those viewing the live administration will also see how efficient the TheraSphere administration system is, providing a rapid outpatient treatment for HCC patients and ease of use for physicians.

“The Northwestern Team is pleased to once again be performing a live administration for our interventional oncology colleagues to help expand their understanding of TheraSphere,” said Dr. Lewandowski. “It is important that interventional oncologists are educated on all HCC treatment options, including radioembolization, to help broaden opportunities for their patients.”

During WCIO, taking place in New York City from May 16-19, visit Nordion representatives at Booth #7 to talk about TheraSphere, get a hands-on training opportunity with the TheraSphere Administration delivery system and preview the upcoming Treatment Window Illustrator iPad app.

TheraSphere is a liver cancer therapy that consists of millions of small glass beads (20 to 30 micrometers in diameter) containing radioactive Y-90. The product is injected by physicians through a catheter into the artery of the patient’s liver. This allows the treatment to deliver localized, targeted radiation directly to the tumour.

In the US, TheraSphere is approved for treatment of patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who can have appropriately positioned hepatic arterial catheters, and can be used as a bridge to surgery or transplantation in these patients. It is also approved for the treatment of HCC patients with partial or branch portal vein thrombosis or occlusion when clinical evaluation warrants the treatment. TheraSphere is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under a Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE). HDE approvals are based on demonstrated safety and probable clinical benefit. However, effectiveness of the indication for use has not been established.

TheraSphere is approved for use in the European Union and Canada for the treatment of hepatic neoplasia in patients who have appropriately positioned arterial catheters.

Common side effects include mild to moderate fatigue, pain and nausea for about a week. Physicians describe these symptoms as similar to those of the flu. Some patients experience some loss of appetite and temporary changes in several blood tests. For details on rare or more severe side effects, please refer to the TheraSphere package insert/instructions for use at www.nordion.com/therasphere.

Nordion Inc. (TSX: NDN) (NYSE: NDZ) is a global health science company that provides market-leading products used for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading provider of targeted therapies, sterilization technologies, and medical isotopes that benefit the lives of millions of people in more than 60 countries around the world. Our products are used daily by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical-device manufacturers, hospitals, clinics and research laboratories. Nordion has approximately 500 highly skilled employees worldwide. Find out more at www.nordion.com and follow us at http://twitter.com/NordionInc.

Source: Nordion Inc.

Nordion Inc.
MEDIA:
Tamra Benjamin, 613-592-3400 x. 1022
Cell: 613-697-5815
[email protected]
or
INVESTORS:
Ana Raman, 613-595-4580
[email protected]