The First Domestic Case in Boao, Ushering in a New Option for Diagnosing Bladder Cancer

Shanghai, China, 8 August 2022 – Asieris Pharmaceuticals, a global biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of innovative drugs for the treatment of genitourinary tumors, announced today that its electronic endoscope image processor Uro-3500 and single-use cystoscope Uro-G have completed their first domestic use case for bladder cancer diagnosis and perfusion at Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital in Boao Lecheng.

While the widest viewing angle of single-use endoscopes on the market is 120°, the Uro-G offers a viewing angle of 140°, both 210° upward and 130° downward motion angles, and a 90° angle of rotation clockwise and counterclockwise. These angles provide doctors with the flexibility to manipulate the lens to view the bladder panorama while looking at the screen directly, without repeatedly rotating the endoscope and probing inside the body. The Uro-G also has its own operating orifice, so that doctors don’t have to change the equipment frequently. The cystoscope also contains an LED light source at the tip to provide intracavity illumination for enhanced visualization during microscopy.

Uro-G

Used together with the handheld Uro-3500 electronic endoscope image processor of unique design, the images collected by the Uro-G can be processed and transmitted to the display screen for image visualization, so that the target tissue, the equipment, and the endoscope image remain in the doctor’s straight line of sight, facilitating examination or treatment. The integrated, portable design of the cystoscope increases its applicability.

The standard disinfection process for conventional endoscopes involves scrubbing them in disinfectant solutions, which are prone to bacterial residues and pose a hidden risk of infection. From 2017 to 2021, the FDA received more than 450 medical device reports (MDRs) associated with urological endoscope related infections1.

The single-use disposable electronic cystoscope Uro-G is disposed after being used on one patient and thus simplifies the clinical disinfection and sterilization process mandated for conventional cystoscopy, thereby reducing the risk of cross infection caused by repeated use and ensuring safer examination for patients. Additionally, the Uro-G is more economical than conventional reusable flexible endoscopes as far as acquisition cost, service life, turnover frequency, disinfection difficulty, maintenance cost, etc.

Mr. Wu underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) due to bladder cancer two years ago. After the operation, two TURBT treatments were performed as he suffered multiple recurrences of the bladder tumor. Currently, he needs to return to the hospital for review every 3 months. Benefiting from the Boao Lecheng pilot program in Hainan, Mr. Wu as one of the first three patients who got to use the disposable cystoscope to diagnose perfusion bladder and urethral tumors. “Compared with the invasive and painful rigid cystoscopy of the past, the whole process was almost painless with the flexible Uro-G,” said Mr. Wu after the examination, who was relieved about the regular follow-up examinations in the future.

tumor images observed during the diagnosis

The Uro-3500 and Uro-G were developed by Uroviu Corporation, and both received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in 2018 and 2021, respectively. Asieris Pharmaceuticals signed a cooperation agreement with UroViu in May 2021, and obtained the exclusive registration and commercialization rights of UroViu’s single-use cystoscopy system in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

The diagnosis was performed by the team of Professor Xinli Kang from the Department of Urology at Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital. Professor Fei Wang, deputy director from the team noted, “The Uro-G disposable cystoscope is convenient, painless, and can also avoid cross infection in order to improve patients’ experience.”

Mr. Xinming Jiang, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Asieris Pharmaceuticals said, “We are very glad that the Uro-3500 and Uro-G were approved for use in the Boao Lecheng Pilot Zone. It has been successfully launched as our second product in Boao, just after our drug for photodynamic diagnosis of bladder cancer. It is a major step in advancing the integration of diagnosis and therapy in the genitourinary field. We will actively work to improve the registration and approval of the Uro-3500 and Uro-G in China, to enable patients to benefit from this new product as soon as possible.”

1. https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/letters-health-care-providers/infections-associated-reprocessed-urological-endoscopes-letter-health-care-providers

About UroViu Corporation

UroViu has developed a proprietary, disposable endoscopic platform of minimally invasive devices to address the issues of device cross contaminations, patient discomfort and workflow inefficiencies.

UroViu’s four (4) FDA cleared products have been adopted by offices and clinics of urology, gynecology and urogynecology in USA.

UroViu is partnering in device development with drug and device companies for comprehensive disease management.  UroViu holds key patents for disposable endoscope and is expanding IP portfolio to include scope-drug and scope-device and robotic assisted surgery applications.

UroViu is led by pioneers in disposable endoscope technology and manufacturing and operated by a globally experienced medical device management team in Asia and USA.

About Asieris
Asieris Pharmaceuticals (688176.SH), founded in March 2010, is a global innovative pharma company specializing in new drugs for the treatment of genitourinary tumors and other related diseases. We strive to improve human health and help people live a more dignified life. We aim to become a global pharma leader that integrates R&D, manufacturing, and commercialization in our areas of focus, as we provide best-in-class integrated diagnosis and treatment solutions for patients in China and worldwide.

The company has been developing its proprietary R&D platform and core technologies, exploring new mechanisms of action, and efficiently screening and evaluating drug candidates. With a well-established in-house R&D system and expertise in global drug development, Asieris is committed to launching first-in-class drugs and other innovative products to address huge unmet needs in its areas of focus.

Asieris is also enhancing its pipeline for genitourinary diseases via proprietary R&D and strategic partnerships, while closely following cutting-edge technologies and therapeutics. The company strives to discover and identify unmet medical needs, and adopts a forward-looking approach in product planning and life-cycle management. We aim to establish an outstanding portfolio that covers diagnosis and treatment in a bid to benefit more patients in China and globally.