Augmenix said today it won a category 1 current procedural terminology reimbursement code from the American Medical Association for periprostatic implantation of biodegradable material, covering its flagship SpaceOAR device.
The SpaceOar is designed to separate the prostate from the rectal wall during radiation treatment for prostate cancer, Augmenix said.
The device is delivered through a small needle as a liquid, which then solidifies into a soft gel that expands the space between the prostate and rectum during radiotherapy. The substance then liquefies and is absorbed and cleared from the body in the patient’s urine, Augmenix said.
“This is an important reimbursement milestone for providers who offer this new treatment option to prostate cancer patients. The Category I CPT code will facilitate reimbursement with US government payers and commercial health insurance companies to enable wider access to the innovative SpaceOAR technology,” CEO John Pedersen said in a prepared statement.
The reimbursement win was supported by the American Society for Radiation Oncology and the American Urological Association, the company said. The CPT code is expected to become effective on January 1, 2018, replacing the device type’s current category 3 code, the company said.
“SpaceOAR is clearly the most elegant and clinically proven technology for reducing rectal toxicity in the treatment of prostate cancer developed in the past 20 years. I consider the product an integral part of my treatment protocol for patients receiving both external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy,” Dr. Steven Kurtzman of San Mateo, Calif.’s Western Radiation Oncology Inc said in a prepared release.
In July, Augmenix said it raised $6 million in a Series E round of funding to support the development of next-gen products and support the company’s SpaceOAR system.
Augmenix said the round was joined by existing investors, but did not list any of the round’s contributing parties.
Augmenix won a nod from the FDA for the SpaceOAR device in April, the company said. The device also has CE Mark approval in the European Union.
In June, Augmenix said that a pivotal study of its SpaceOar system was published online in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics.