Theragenics Corporation(R) Engages Men In A National Debate On Prostate Cancer

Main Category: Prostate / Prostate Cancer
Also Included In: Urology / Nephrology;  Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 14 Jul 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Theragenics Corporation, a medical device Company serving the prostate cancer and surgical markets (NYSE: TGX), is challenging men to engage in a national debate surrounding the treatment of the disease that will affect one in six of them - prostate cancer. This week, the Company announced its latest campaign to promote awareness of proven prostate cancer treatment options, "The Great Prostate Debate." The campaign encourages open dialogue among men through town-hall events in select cities, national telephone workshops and a dedicated Web site. The Web site, http://www.greatprostatedebate.com, features Web casts, an open forum for men to discuss their experiences with treatments and a question and answer section with Dr. Jerrold Sharkey, a leading urologist. The Web site also features important prostate cancer facts, including information about TheraSeed®, a proven prostate cancer treatment device manufactured by Theragenics.

The campaign will kick off with the launch of a Web cast on July 21, 2008 on GreatProstateDebate.com providing a behind-the-scenes look at an actual brachytherapy procedure. Brachytherapy is a minimally invasive procedure which fights localized prostate cancer with rice-sized, radioactive seeds implanted inside the prostate. The video will follow the entire procedure including a before and after interview with the patient. Details of the procedure will be narrated by Dr. Sharkey and Dr. Gregory Merrick, the treating physician. Dr. Merrick is a nationally recognized prostate cancer expert and serves as the Director of the Schiffler Cancer Center and the Urologic Research Institute at Wheeling Hospital and Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, W.Va.

The patient in the video will be treated with Theraseed, which produces cure rates better than or equal to surgery, according to independent clinical studies. The minimally invasive outpatient procedure works with a lower risk of complications, such as incontinence and impotence, and offers faster healing times than surgery.

The man behind the debate

Dr. Sharkey is a board certified urologist who has served in a variety of roles, including the managing partner of a clinical research practice, a faculty member at the University of South Florida Department of Urology and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is also the past president of the Tampa Urological Society and has served on hospital medical executive boards.

"As a board certified urologist, I have treated more than 2,500 patients with prostate cancer and kept detailed records on them in a career spanning over forty years," said Sharkey. "My goal for 'The Great Prostate Debate' is to encourage men to talk openly about all the issues associated with prostate cancer and understand the various proven treatment options available to them."

Theragenics is the provider of TheraSeed®, a leading brachytherapy ("seeding") device for prostate cancer treatment. The Company chose to include Dr. Sharkey as a campaign spokesperson because of his medical expertise and extensive research on the topics of prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction, radical surgery and brachytherapy.

"We're looking forward to introducing a new face to men nationwide - Dr. Jerrold Sharkey," said M. Christine Jacobs, Chairman, CEO and President of Theragenics. "We've always been focused on educating men to take control and know their options for prostate cancer treatment. Dr. Sharkey is an authoritative voice on this topic. Our hope is to engage men to ask the right questions and get the facts to determine the best treatment options available to them."

Challenge to men: Know your options

GreatProstateDebate.com will feature a series of Web casts integrated with the campaign's motto, "Know Your Options," a message encouraging men to get the facts about various proven prostate cancer treatments. Additional Web casts include "Prostate Cancer: Facts and Fallacies," summarizing the common misconceptions about prostate cancer treatments; "Prostate and Your Mate," discussing the intimacy issues surrounding prostate cancer; and "Dr. Sharkey: One-on-One" featuring Dr. Sharkey answering questions about prostate cancer from prostate cancer support group members and other men.

In addition to the Web cast, Dr. Sharkey will host telephone education workshops and meet with men in selected cities, to drive extended market awareness of prostate cancer and various options for treatment.

GreatProstateDebate.com also includes transcripts of all campaign events and a forum for men to post discussions related to prostate cancer treatment options. A separate section on the Web site allows men to send questions directly to Dr. Sharkey. For immediate questions regarding prostate cancer and treatment options, men may call the TheraSeed® Prostate Cancer Information Center at 1-800-458-4372.

"There are more prostate cancer treatments options available to men today than ever before, but not all of them are proven," Dr. Sharkey says. "Men need the facts. They need to know their options. They need to engage in this debate."

Theragenics Corporation® (NYSE: TGX) operates two business segments: its brachytherapy seed business and its surgical products business. The brachytherapy business manufactures and markets its premier product, the palladium-103 TheraSeed® device and I-Seed, an iodine-125 based device, which are used primarily in the minimally invasive treatment of localized prostate cancer. Its surgical products business (http://www.cpmedical.com and http://www.galtmedical.com) manufactures and distributes wound closure and vascular access products. Wound closure products include sutures, needles and other surgical products with applications in, among other areas, urology, veterinary, cardiology, orthopedics, plastic surgery and dental. Vascular access includes introducers and guidewires used in the interventional radiology, interventional cardiology and vascular surgery markets. For additional information, call Theragenics' Investor Relations Department at (800) 998-8479 or visit http://www.theragenics.com.

This release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which is necessarily subject to risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, statements regarding optimism for Theragenics' sales organization and its growth, Theragenics' sales, new sales and marketing initiatives. Actual results may differ materially due to a variety of factors, including, among other things, risks and uncertainties related to the effectiveness and execution of marketing and sales programs by Theragenics and its distributors, changes in product pricing by Theragenics or other brachytherapy seed producers, changes in costs of materials used in production processes, continued acceptance of the products by the market, continued demand for palladium-103, introduction and/or availability of competitive products by others, third-party (including CMS) reimbursement, physician training, third-party distribution agreements, and other factors set forth from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

All forward looking statements and cautionary statements included in this document are made as of the date hereby based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward looking statement or cautionary statement.

Theragenics Corporation