Pacific Edge Ends Commercial Partnership with Healthscope in Australia

Following a indepth review of its progress in Australia, Pacific Edge Limited (NZX:PEB) has announced it is ending its agreement with Healthscope and looking to finalise the selection and negotiation with a new commercial partner to market and distribute its innovative Cxbladder bladder cancer diagnostic tests.

Australia remains a small but real market for Pacific Edge, with approximately 3,000 Australians estimated to have bladder cancer in 2015[1], compared to more than half million in the USA[2], the company’s primary market.

CEO of Pacific Edge, David Darling, said: “We have had a long standing relationship with Healthscope and they have been a supportive partner while we bought our first two Cxbladder tests to market.  We are now looking to finalise the selection and negotiation with a new commercial partner who will work with our team in New Zealand and our Melbourne based in-country manager to drive sales and encourage clinical use of Cxbladder. We expect these negotiations to be concluded in the near term.”

Cxbladder tests for Australian patients will continue to be processed in Pacific Edge’s certified laboratory in New Zealand, providing a fast and efficient turnaround on results.

[1] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Cancer in Australia: An overview 2014

[2] http://www.cancer.org/cancer/bladdercancer/detailedguide/bladder-cancer-key-statistics