Verisante Technology said this week it has signed an exclusive distribution deal with Pacifica Handels to distribute its Aura skin cancer detection device in Switzerland.
With the agreement, Verisante now has distribution agreements for the Aura in Canada, Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland. The company received its first orders for the device this month and plans to begin shipping later in the month, with an initial run of ten instruments to be placed in Canada and Europe (PM 2/1/2013).
The Aura uses Raman spectroscopy to measure the levels of various biomarkers – including proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites – in skin lesions to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions. By comparing the patterns of spectra generated by the device, clinicians can differentiate between the two.
According to Verisante, Switzerland, which has 400 practicing dermatologists, has the third highest rate of skin cancer in the world and has nearly 1,800 new cases of melanoma annually. Over the last 20 years, cases of malignant melanoma in the country have doubled.