Augmenix K.K. announces that SpaceOAR hydrogel, a soft, implanted absorbable gel spacer is now available to all prostate cancer radiotherapy patients in Japan through the Ministry of Health, Labour & Welfare (MHLW) national reimbursement. SpaceOAR hydrogel is clinically proven to assist in the decrease of unwanted side effects from radiotherapy treatment in patients with prostate cancer.
Stephen J. McGill, Vice President and General Manager of Augmenix International stated, “We are delighted that SpaceOAR hydrogel is now available through the MHLW national reimbursement programme for all men undergoing prostate cancer radiotherapy treatment throughout Japan. We believe the commitment of the Japanese MHLW to reimburse SpaceOAR is a significant leap forward to improving radiotherapy outcomes and reducing the associated risks.”
Stephen McGill continued to say, “It is our goal to be able to provide global access to SpaceOAR hydrogel, a minimally invasive intervention, that significantly benefits patients by reducing the side effects of radiation exposure. The opening of our new Augmenix K.K. headquarters and successful reimbursement are positive steps in that direction.”
Throughout Japan, more than 86,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Many patients are successfully treated with various forms of radiotherapy, however radiation damage to the organs surrounding the prostate are known to cause long term side effects including acute rectal pain, rectal bleeding, urinary incontinence and erectile dysfunction. SpaceOAR hydrogel creates an average of 1.3cm of space between the prostate and the rectum which has been clinically proven to reduce radiation exposure and prevent injury to the surrounding organs.
Yoshi Kuratani, General Manager of Japan, continued to emphasise, “SpaceOAR hydrogel is a proven solution that can make a life-changing difference to men receiving prostate cancer radiotherapy. We hope that by working closely with the many Japanese clinicians that have already expressed an interest in this product, we can help enable the advancement of radiotherapy and make prostate-rectum spacing the standard of care for all patients.”
SpaceOAR hydrogel is available nationally in Japan beginning June 25th, 2018 under the Reimbursement Category: ‘200 Bio absorbable material for Radiation Therapy’.
