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Biotech / Medical : ZILA -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jft who wrote (762)	10/9/1998 2:07:00 PM
From: PHILLIP FLOTOW	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 897

The stock has moved on this news: Oral Cancer Detection System Endorsed By FDI World Dental Federation PHOENIX, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Zila, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZILA), international provider of healthcare products for dental/medical professionals and consumers, announced that the FDI World Dental Federation (Federation Dentaire Internationale) has formally endorsed Toluidine Blue (Zila's OraTest(R)), for the detection and management of oral cancer. The FDI is comprised of 130 national dental associations representing more than 600,000 member dentists. At the FDI World Dental Congress in Barcelona, Spain, with more than 15,000 attending, the FDI Council on October 8 ratified and issued a statement which said in part: "The use of Toluidine Blue in expert and experienced hands is recommended: -- in the monitoring of suspicious lesions over time -- in the screening for oral mucosal malignancy and potentially malignant lesions in high risk individuals and population groups -- in the follow-up of patients already treated for upper aerodigestive tract cancer -- in helping to determine an optimal site for biopsy when a suspicious lesion or condition is present; and -- intraoperatively during surgery of upper aerodigestive tract malignancy. "To clinicians in primary care settings, specific training is required for correct application of the test and correct interpretation of the results. "Toluidine blue shall not be considered a replacement for a detailed visual and digital examination, but as an extra tool for the identification of patients who should be referred to specialists or centres experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer and potentially malignant lesions or conditions." The FDI also announced it will conduct a global education campaign on oral cancer in the year 2000, to mark the organization's 100th anniversary. Dr. Ralph Green, President of Zila Biomedical, said, "This powerful endorsement adds further support to a growing body of published research indicating an important role for OraTest in the routine screening of at-risk patients by general practitioners. It also underscores the value of OraTest in the treatment and monitoring of oral cancer survivors. We look forward to working closely with the FDI and its member dental associations in raising public awareness of this too common disease." OraTest is available or approved in 16 countries; arrangements are being made to gain additional regulatory approvals and to negotiate distribution agreements throughout the world. U.S. Food & Drug Administration approval is pending. OraTest is a patented 5-minute mouthrinse sequence, used by dentists and physicians to detect early-stage, asymptomatic lesions and to define margins of lesions for biopsy and surgery. It has been shown to be 100 percent sensitive for squamous cell carcinoma, the common form of oral cancer. Oral cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the U.S., occurring at twice the rate of cervical cancer. In most of the underdeveloped world, oral cancer ranks third in mortality rate among all cancer types. According to the American Cancer Society, the U.S. this year can expect 41,400 new oral, nasopharyngeal and laryngeal cancers and 12,300 deaths. The average 5-year survival rate for oral cancer is only 53 percent, having improved little since the 1960s. Worldwide, nearly 900,000 new cases of oral cancer occurred in 1996; incidence and mortality rates are rising. Oral cancer is more than twice as common in men as in women, and is most frequent in those age 40 and over. At high risk are smokers and other tobacco users, consumers of alcoholic beverages, betel nut chewers, those with a history of cancer and those who are immunocompromised. The odds of developing oral cancer increase with frequency and duration of use of tobacco and alcohol, and with combined use of the two. With 25 million adult American smokers visiting dentists at least once a year (according to data published in the Journal of the American Dental Association), these healthcare professionals are in the front line of early detection of this serious disease. "With oral cancer, early detection is the key," said Dr. Green. "Late stage detection produces a survival rate of only 18 percent. But survival rates soar to 80 percent when oral cancer is detected early. OraTest is a vital tool to help clinicians find suspicious lesions even before symptoms appear." Zila, Inc., markets pharmaceutical, biomedical, dental and nutritional products to professionals and consumers through seven operating groups: Zila Biomedical is introducing the OraTest(R) oral cancer detection system worldwide; Zila Manufacturing produces the only pharmaceutical-grade toluidine blue -- Zila(R) Tolonium Chloride; Zila Pharmaceuticals markets prescription and non-prescription oral healthcare products; Zila Dental Supply is a national dental supplies distributor; PracticeWorks develops and markets proprietary dental practice management software; Cygnus Imaging manufactures and markets intraoral video camera and digital x-ray systems; and Oxycal Laboratories manufactures and supplies Ester-C(R) vitamin products worldwide. More information is available at www.zila.com. This document contains forward-looking statements which are based on Zila's expectations and are subject to various business risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Zila's control. Actual results could differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of such risks. There can be no assurances that the forward looking statements contained herein will in fact transpire or prove to be accurate. SOURCE Zila, Inc. -0- 10/09/98 /CONTACT: Dr. Ralph Green for Zila, 602-266-6700/ /Web site: zila.com -- LAF036 -- 8617 10/09/98 12:45 EDT prnewswire.com Copyright PR Newswire 1998. All rights reserved. PHIL

To: jft who wrote (762)	11/16/1998 2:44:00 PM
From: signist	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 897

Update: Move Over Godzilla -- It's Zila iionline.com When Individual Investor magazine first wrote about Zila Inc. (NASDAQ: ZILA) back in 1991, the company's shares traded for $1.00. Since then the stock has zigged and zagged before settling at a recent $4.19. But a recent strong earnings announcement on the heels of a 57% revenue gain encouraged us to take the pulse of the company again. About the Company: From A-to-Zila Zila has four operating groups: Zila Pharmaceutical, which sells non-prescription oral healthcare products, Cygnus Imaging, which makes intra-oral video camera systems, and digital x-ray systems, Bio-Dental Technologies, which sells software for dentists, and Zila Dental Supply, which distributed 15,000 items through direct mail, catalog sales, and telemarketing. The company made two deals in 1997--acquiring an anti-bacterial oral rinse product, Peridex, and Oxycal Labs which makes an enhanced form of Vitamin C under the trademark Ester-C. The addition of Oxycal and Peridex was a major source of the 57.1% revenue growth the company has experienced for the first nine months of this year. Blockbuster Product? But investors in the company have been most enamored by the prospects for Oratest, Zila's proprietary oral cancer diagnostic test. The product has been approved in Australia, Canada, and much of the European Union. Unfortunately for Zila, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been slow in evaluating the product. At first there was tremendous confusion over whether the company should seek a 510K (device) or NDA (New Drug Approval) for the product. After expending loads of time and money, Zila was told by the FDA that it must seek the more stringent NDA approval for the product. Management is hopeful that it will receive positive feedback from the FDA in the next several months. Naturally, if and when Oratest is approved, selling, general, and administrative expenses should increase markedly. But management appears confident that the anticipated growth in revenue and the corresponding gross margins of Oratest (70% anticipated), as well as the core products of the company, will more than offset the added expenses. Price Target Based upon continued growth trends, and a hopeful ramp up of Oratest next year, management hopes to bag $80 million in revenue in FY 1999 -- a 28% increase in revenue from $62.1 million in 1998. Pauli & Company analyst, Dr. Deborah Ziwot thinks the company can earn $0.10 a share next year and $0.24 in FY 2000. She rates the shares a buy and maintains a price target of $9 to $10 based upon a multiple of 37 - 40 times their FY estimate of $0.24. That kind of projected multiple is not for the faint of heart, especially in this market, but we share the analyst's enthusiasm. For the short-term, though, the share price will remain event driven. An FDA approval of Oratest would send shares higher, and probably also invite additional coverage from Wall Street. Bottom Line: Over the longer haul, however, management will have to articulate a plan for yet further growth for the stock to move into double digits. Analyst: Glenn Curtis