Premier, Xoft execute group purchasing contract

Premier Inc., an alliance of more than 2,300 U.S. hospitals and 67,000-plus other healthcare sites working together to achieve high quality, cost-effective care, and Xoft, Inc., the leading provider of FDA-cleared Electronic Brachytherapy Systems, announced the execution of a group purchasing contract.  Xoft was awarded an exclusive three-year contract for brachytherapy systems with Premier Purchasing Partners L.P., the group purchasing unit of Premier, Inc.  The agreement, which is in effect through May 1, 2013 extends Premier members preferred pricing on Xoft's Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System for use for the treatment of breast, endometrial, and skin cancers.

"Premier has a proven track record of providing the latest advances in women's health, and we want to thank the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Committee for offering its members access to this important cancer treatment platform that delivers definitive treatment directly to the cancer tumor with minimal exposure to surrounding healthy tissues," said Michael Klein, president and CEO of Xoft.  "This is yet another validation of both the clinical value of isotope-free electronic treatment for accelerated brachytherapy and IORT applications that has been strongly reinforced recently by multiple publications, including the recent TARGIT study."  

Available for treatment of early stage breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and skin cancer, the Axxent eBx System is also FDA cleared for use in the treatment of surface cancers or conditions where radiation therapy is indicated, including IORT (intraoperative radiation therapy). As a platform technology, the Axxent System is designed to deliver non-radioactive therapy directly to cancerous tissue with minimal radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. Utilizing a proprietary miniaturized X-ray source and robotic controller, treatment can be performed in minimally shielded therapeutic settings allowing the radiation oncologist and other medical personnel to be present during treatment delivery and minimizing patient anxiety.

"Innovations such as Electronic Brachytherapy can clearly support Premier's goals of improving healthcare quality and affordability, and we look forward to working with Premier's members to improve access to this safe effective cancer treatment that can be delivered in a more patient friendly environment than traditional isotope-based therapies that require shielded rooms," Klein added.