Proxima Therapeutics, Inc. today announced that Iotrex(R), the proprietary liquid radiation source for its GliaSite Radiation Therapy System (RTS) for brain cancer, has received a current procedural terminology (CPT) pass-through code under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The establishment of special payment for Iotrex broadens reimbursement for GliaSite and should allow more Medicare beneficiaries to receive outpatient treatment. The pass-through code should also make it easier for hospitals to manage the billing and reimbursement process for GliaSite. The code goes into effect on January 1, 2003.

The GliaSite RTS provides a safe and convenient radiation treatment option for patients with brain tumors. After surgery to remove the tumor, this technology internally delivers a high dose of radiation directly to the edges of the tumor cavity, targeting places where cancer may remain while minimizing the potential for damage to healthy tissue. This system is currently being used to treat patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent malignant gliomas, as well as metastatic brain tumors. An NCI-sponsored clinical study of GliaSite in patients with recurrent malignant gliomas demonstrated a median survival of 387 days, with 52 percent of subjects still alive one year following treatment.

“We are pleased that CMS has assigned a pass-through code for Iotrex,” said Timothy Patrick, president and chief executive officer of Proxima Therapeutics, Inc. “While GliaSite is becoming available to patients at an increasing number of centers throughout the country, we expect this code to encourage even broader adoption of this important therapy on both an inpatient and outpatient basis.”