GreatWall International Cancer Center
Record $3.8 M in Gendicine® Orders in One Day Sells Out All Available Product;
Promising Reported Results Drive Unprecedented Demand
Source: Benda Pharmaceutical
HUBEI PROVINCE, CHINA, Sep 24, 2007 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) --
Benda Pharmaceutical, Inc. ("Benda" or the "Company") (OTCBB: BPMA), a China-based
pharmaceutical company producing traditional Chinese and conventional medicines, as well
as Gendicine®, the world's first commercialized gene therapy medicine for the treatment of
cancer, announced today that results following clinical trials, presented at its national forum
on "Gene Therapy for Tumors" on September 9, 2007, were met with such overwhelming
enthusiasm that physicians present immediately placed orders for 16,000 vials, effectively
buying out all available product in just one day; when realized, these sales are expected to
total $3.8 million. By way of comparison, sales of Gendicine® through the entire first half of
the year totaled $1.5 million.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg for Gendicine® in the long term," stated Benda Chairman
and CEO Yiqing Wan. "The international medical community has eagerly awaited additional
results on the efficacy of the drug, and these studies from 15 nationally renowned medical
experts are more than promising -- as indicated by purchase orders totaling 16,000 vials. To
provide some context, this one-day number is nearly double the 8,285 vials sold in all of
2006. As such, we believe that our forum on "Gene Therapy for Tumors" could eventually
prove the tipping point for Gendicine®, SiBiono and publicly traded parent company Benda
Pharmaceutical (OTCBB: BPMA)."
Prior to Benda's acquisition of SiBiono, the company suffered a net loss of $1.0 million in
2006. Following its acquisition of SiBiono, Benda dramatically enhanced the marketing and
distribution of Gendicine® and anticipates that SiBiono will earn $5.0 million in net income in
2007 -- a 600% immediate improvement.
The Conference
Sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the China Pharmaceutical
Biotechnology Association, China's largest-ever annual medical biotechnology conference
ran from September 7 - 10 in Qing Dao, Shandong Province. In conjunction with the national
conference, Benda subsidiary SiBiono held a national forum discussing "Gene Therapy for
Tumors" on September 9, 2007. Approximately 600 leading Chinese doctors attended
SiBiono's forum, representing 26 different provinces and over 200 Tier I Chinese hospitals
(Tier I hospitals offer the best medical services in China; there are currently 775 Tier I
hospitals in China). Most of the attendees had previously attended SiBiono-hosted gene
therapy training sessions held during the 5 months prior.
At the forum, 15 nationally renowned medical experts shared their experiences in the
effective application of Gendicine® to maximize its treatment efficacy. Encouraged by the
extraordinarily compelling clinical results (highlighted below) -- and now knowledgeable about
Gendicine®'s applications as a result of previous training -- the 600 doctors present at
SiBiono's forum placed orders through their hospitals, that once realized, are expected to
total 16,000 Gendicine® vials and $3.8 million. Limited only by the supply available, this
combined order sold out all existing Gendicine® stock. This seminal event marks SiBiono's
emphatic grand entrance into China's $2.6 billion and the world's $28.2 billion anti-cancer
drug market.
Doctors are not the only ones enthusiastic about Gendicine®'s promise: We have patients
testimonials with their CT pictures on the home page.
The 15 nationally renowned medical experts presented their findings 1 - 5 years following
clinical Gendicine® trials and revealed some compelling statistics. Below are noteworthy
excerpts from two prominent doctors' presentations:
Dr. Shanwen Zhang from Beijing Tumor Hospital revealed results 5 years following clinical
trials on Gendicine®'s treatment of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (a cancer of the throat and
mouth).
Control group: 27 patients with single radiotherapy
Observation group: 26 patients with combined treatment of Gendicine® and radiotherapy
Result: Observation group showed 95.6% effective control rate, 35.3% higher than control
group's 60.3% control rate; Observation group showed 13.1% higher 5 year survival rate
and 28.7% higher 5 year tumor free survival rate.
Dr. Yongsong Guan from Huaxi Hopstial, Sichuan Province revealed results 1 year following
clinical trials on Gendicine®'s treatment of middle and late staged liver cancer.
Control group: 82 patients with single TACE treatment (a type kind of chemotherapy for liver
cancer)
Observation group: 68 patients with combined treatment of Gendicine® and TACE
Result: Observation group showed 67.6% effective rate with tumor size visibly reduced or
eliminated, 16.4% higher than control group's 51.2%; Observation group showed 43.3% one
year survival rate, 19.3% higher than control group's 24.0%; Observation group also showed
61.8% increase in Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score relative to control group's
43.9%. KPS score is a standard way of measuring the ability of cancer patients to perform
ordinary tasks.
About Benda Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Benda Pharmaceutical, Inc. (www.bendapharma.com), a China-based pharmaceutical
company, is a pure play on explosive Chinese pharmaceutical spending and the global
search for a cancer cure. Benda produces traditional Chinese and conventional medicines,
as well as Gendicine®, the world's first commercialized gene therapy medicine for the
treatment of cancer.
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