Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG Ltd., a subsidiary of Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG S.A. in UK has been awarded a public tender for the supply of Iodine-125 brachytherapy (stranded and loose) seeds, associated consumables and planning system for prostate implant to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK.

After the successful tender announcement on August 22nd 2011, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust has contracted Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG Ltd., located in London to supply the I-125 permanent prostate implants, so called "seeds" (in loose and stranded form), together with accessories and treatment planning software. The contract award notice has been published in the Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union, dedicated to European public procurement.

The Christie is the largest cancer centre in Europe treating more than 40,000 patients a year and they were the first UK centre officially accredited as a comprehensive cancer centre. They are also an international leader in research and their clinical trials unit is the largest early phase trials unit in the world with around 200 trials ongoing at any one time. The Christie is the second largest hospital charity in the UK. The centre treats 150 patients per year with seeds.

Seeds manufactured by Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG are used in LDR (Low Dose Rate) brachytherapy, mainly in the treatment of localized prostate cancer. The seeds take the form of little capsules containing a minuscule quantity of a radioactive isotope, I-125 (Iodine-125). They are implanted into the prostate, where they remain permanently and destroy the cancer cells. Permanent LDR brachytherapy with small radioactive sources is highly effective, especially in early stages of prostate cancer and causes relatively low side effects in comparison to alternative treatment options.
Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG's Seeds are available in different configurations: as loose (IsoSeed®), or stranded (IsoCord®, IsoStrand®) seeds.

In addition to radioactive implants, Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG also provides full installation to hospitals, including treatment planning software (such as PSID), ultrasound scanners and a complete range of accessories, as well as professional training.


About Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG

Contributing to saving lives!

Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG is a European-based group active in the medical device segment of the health care industry.

Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG's core business is the treatment of cancer using brachytherapy, a special form of radiation therapy.

Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG is a leader in brachytherapy in Europe. The company headquarters are in Belgium, with a production facility in Germany and subsidiaries throughout Europe and in India. In addition, Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG has a worldwide network of distributors and agents to support the international marketing of its product line.

The company's products and equipment are intended for use by oncologists, radiologists, urologists, and medical physicists.

Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG employs more than 150 people. The company has been listed on the Euronext stock exchange since April 1997 (Euronext: EZBG; Reuters: EZBG.BR; Bloomberg: EZBG:BB).