Eckert & Ziegler BEBIG
German radiopharmaceutical and brachytherapy specialist — full-line vendor across HDR / PDR brachytherapy afterloaders, sealed sources, and brachytherapy planning systems. Direct competitor to Elekta (Flexitron, formerly Nucletron) and Varian (BRAVOS) in the HDR-afterloader market. Particularly strong in European and emerging-market brachytherapy programs.
Company history
- 1992 — Eckert & Ziegler founded.
- 1999 — acquires BEBIG (former East German radiopharmaceutical / brachytherapy maker), establishing the medical-products business.
- 2000s — MultiSource HDR / PDR afterloader establishes clinical presence.
- 2010s+ — SagiNova HDR refresh; SagiPlan planning system.
Product line
HDR / PDR afterloaders
- MultiSource — HDR / PDR afterloader; Co-60 or Ir-192 source compatibility.
- SagiNova — current HDR afterloader.
Sealed sources
- GZP6 / GZP7 — Co-60 cobalt sources for HDR (alternative to Ir-192 chemistry / decay).
- Ir-192 sources — for compatible afterloaders.
Planning + workflow
- SagiPlan — brachytherapy treatment-planning system.
Distinctive technology
- Co-60 HDR option — alternative to Ir-192 in HDR afterloaders. Co-60 has longer half-life (~5.27 yr vs Ir-192 ~74 days), enabling less-frequent source changes at the cost of larger source size and modestly different dose-distribution characteristics.
- MultiSource — supports both Ir-192 and Co-60 sources; flexibility advantage on programs that want either chemistry option.
- Vertically integrated — Eckert & Ziegler manufactures both the afterloader and the sealed sources.
Market position
Mid-tier global brachytherapy vendor — smaller installed base than Elekta Flexitron or Varian BRAVOS but durable presence in European, Latin American, and emerging-market HDR programs. The Co-60 source option is distinctive among HDR vendors.
Refurb posture
- Modest refurb supply — small global installed base; afterloader lifecycle is largely OEM-service-driven.
- Source-change cycle is integral to operating economics (Ir-192: quarterly; Co-60: every several years).
- Service-network depth is regional — strongest in Europe / Latin America.