Italy’s NGC In Exclusive Distribution Deal For Allium Stents

Allium Medical Group, developer and manufacturer of anatomically and functionally compatible, dynamic, large-caliber, removable, non-vascular stents, announced today that it has signed an exclusive distribution deal with Italian medical device distributor NGC Medical S.p.A., for both its ureteral and biliary stents. The value of the deal was not disclosed. Allium Medical will be exhibiting four new products based on its revolutionary stenting platform at the EAU European Association of Urology World Congress in Milan, Italy, March 26-28, 2008, Booth #A14.

Founded in 2001, Allium

develops site-specific stents for various uses with applications in the urinary and gastro-intestinal tract. Allium completed CE Marking for its biliary and ureteral stents, and commenced distribution of its biliary stents as of June 2007 in Italy, Sweden, Germany and Austria. Follow-on orders have been received and delivered. Based in the Milan area, NGC Medical is a leading distributor of medical devices with a particular focus on innovative products. Allium’s biliary stent was first used for transhepatic treatment by radiologists, followed by successful insertions of Allium’s endoscopic biliary stent by gastroenterologists at Santo Spirito Hospital, Casale Monferrato, under Dr. Carlo Poletti; Ospedale San Giovanni Battista (Molinette), Torino, under Dr. Aldo Garbarini; and at Ospedale di Circolo e Fondazione Macchi, Varese under Prof. Giampaolo Carrafiello. Ureteral stent insertions are scheduled for mid-2008.

Dr. Paolo Cremascoli, President and CEO of NGC Medical S.p.A, said, “NGC was the exclusive distributor in Italy of InStent Inc. which produced the UroCoil, ProstaCoil, EndoCoil, EsophaCoil, etc., a highly successful stent family also developed by Prof. Daniel Yachia. We are very happy to renew our relationship in launching the new Allium Stents: the first easily removable, self-expandable, large caliber, fully covered stent family especially designed for use in the urinary and biliary tracts. Our initial sales were for first insertions at medical centers in northern Italy. Based on successful results, we are now submitting bids to make the Allium Stent widely available throughout Italy.” Cremascoli added that NGC had signed contracts with Allium in 2006, even before the products had been awarded CE Mark, so as to ensure it had exclusive distribution rights.

Prof. (Em.) Daniel Yachia, M.D., President, CSO and Senior Consultant (Urology) for the Allium Group, said, “NGC’s support of this new product is testament to their commitment to innovations such as Allium’s technological platform, which can be adapted to suit almost any stent-treatable site. Now, every organ can have a stent of its own.” The four new products presented in Milan this week are the Allium ureteral stent; the Allium prostatic stent; the Allium bulbar urethral stent and the Allium bladder-neck stent.