30.11.2015
Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG DE0005659700
DGAP-Adhoc: Eckert & Ziegler to sell US seed business
Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG / Key word(s): Disposal
30.11.2015 18:43
Dissemination of an Ad hoc announcement according to § 15 WpHG, transmitted
by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
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Ad-hoc press release in accordance with Section 15 WpHG
ISIN DE 0005659700
Eckert & Ziegler to sell US seed business
Berlin, November 30, 2015. Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG s.a. (EZB), Eckert &
Ziegler AG's medical device division, is to sell its US seed business to
the US-based Theragenics Corporation. This was decided by the Supervisory
Board during today's meeting. The transaction is expected to be
completed by the end of 2015. The parties have agreed not to disclose the
sales price.
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Information and Explaination of the Issuer to this News:
EZB acquired the business, which is centered on the refining of prostate
cancer implants and on application needles, from the US company
Biocompatibles Inc. in 2013. Biocompatibles had voluntarily suspended
manufacture and delivery of its products in May 2013 following claims of
shortcomings in its documentation of the manufacturing process by the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration. Despite EZB rectifying all of the quality
deficiencies, it failed to win back the trust of the majority of customers
and return to turning a profit on the business. The sale by EZB is part of
its restructuring concept, which was determined on the basis of a detailed,
strategic review of all business fields. The plan now is to sell the US
seed business and switch focus to higher-margin areas.
'We have found the best solution for our company, our customers and our
shareholders,' said Dr. Edgar Löffler, member of the Executive Board and
head of the Radiation Therapy segment. 'We can now concentrate our efforts
in the prostate seed business on the European market and consolidate our
resources in the US on afterloader business.' This sale marks a major step
forward in Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG's strategy of becoming a profitable
specialist in brachytherapy, a gentler form of cancer treatment. The
company received a license to sell the latest generation of afterloaders,
the SagiNova(R), in April 2015. The first devices are expected to be sold
before the end of the year.
'This transaction continues our long-standing commitment to prostate
brachytherapy and the physicians and patients who depend on it,' stated
Frank J. Tarallo, Chief Executive Officer of Theragenics Corporation. 'We
will be able to provide all EZB U.S. seed customers with the unrivaled
service and quality products our customers expect. As the leading
manufacturer and supplier in this market, we are confident we can support
EZB's customers in their efforts to deliver the highest quality treatment
to their prostate cancer patients.'
About Eckert & Ziegler.
With some 700 employees, Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG
(ISIN DE0005659700) is one of the world's largest providers of components
based on isotope technology for radiation therapy and nuclear medicine.
Contributing to saving lives.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Eckert & Ziegler AG, Karolin Riehle, Investor Relations,
Robert-Rössle-Str. 10, 13125 Berlin, Germany
Tel.: +49 30 94 10 84-138, [email protected], www.ezag.de
30.11.2015 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements,
Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.
Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de
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Language: English
Company: Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik AG
Robert-Rössle-Str.10
13125 Berlin
Germany
Phone: 49 30 941084-138
Fax: 49 30 941084-112
E-mail: [email protected]
Internet: www.ezag.de
ISIN: DE0005659700
WKN: 565970
Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard), Stuttgart;
Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg,
Munich
End of Announcement DGAP News-Service
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