LYON, France, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EDAP TMS S.A. , the global leader in High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) treatment of prostate cancer, announced it has signed a revenue per procedure (RPP) services contract to provide Ablatherm-HIFU treatment of localized prostate cancer at Helios Klinikum Wuppertal, the largest regional hospital in western Germany and a top urology center specializing in minimally invasive treatment and nerve sparing prostate procedures. The hospital will begin treating patients October 23 - 24. Helios Klinikum Wuppertal has been associated with the private University Witten-Herdecke since 2004.
“We are very pleased and excited to announce this new contract for Ablatherm-HIFU services at Helios Klinikum Wuppertal, a major regional hospital,” said Judith Johannsen, General Manager of EDAP GmbH. “As with many other German centers adopting Ablatherm-HIFU as part of their primary prostate cancer choices, Wuppertal made a complete evaluation of HIFU therapy in comparison to traditional treatments as well as the available HIFU devices. On both evaluations, EDAP provided clear and compelling clinical data based on long term studies using a consistent treatment protocol. Hence, EDAP demonstrated Ablatherm-HIFU offers patients a successful and compelling treatment choice, especially for nonsurgical patients or those concerned about maintaining a high quality of life after cancer treatment. Wuppertal’s particular specialty in minimally invasive and nerve sparing treatments makes Ablatherm-HIFU even more attractive as EDAP’s clinical data clearly demonstrates Ablatherm’s favorable outcomes in these areas.”
Prof. Stefan Roth, head of the Urology Department, will lead the HIFU launch at Wuppertal. Prof. Roth’s career includes research positions in various countries prior to his active practice in Germany. After being appointed director of the Department of Urology he was designated a professor by University Witten-Herdecke in 1998. Prof. Roth is the highly regarded recipient of numerous awards and is doing research in conjunction with Harvard University in United States. Under his leadership, Wuppertal offers one of the most comprehensive urology departments in western Germany among its 26 specialties. Additional information about the hospital can be found online at http://www.helios-kliniken.de .
“We have decided to offer Ablatherm HIFU to our patients as an alternative treatment option because HIFU is a minimally invasive therapy, which, under the correct indication -- patients who can not pursue surgery, patients with local residual cancer, older patients with incidental carcinoma after TURP -- should be integrated into our therapeutic spectrum of the management of prostate cancer,” commented Prof. Roth.
EDAP also provided an update on its success at the DGU Congress held recently in Hamburg, the largest German urology event in the country and the launching point of a substantial marketing and awareness campaign for the Ablatherm-HIFU. The company had previously announced a press event on the 19th of September to launch the conference. The event, including presentations by Prof. Chaussy and Dr. Thueroff of Munich, Germany and a patient who selected Ablatherm-HIFU treatment, was well attended by the German general, financial, urology and oncology press including such publications as Handelsblatt, German Journal of Onkology, Der Urologe, Urologische Nachrichten and others. Total targeted audience is expected to exceed 2 million readers.
The conference and its Ablatherm-HIFU events generated a substantial number of leads including German hospitals requesting Ablatherm information and immediate site visit opportunities to observe the therapy at experienced user sites. The company’s “Meet the Expert” sessions were well received and primarily generated interest among urologists new to HIFU and ready to launch services in the coming months, further increasing utilization of the company’s three mobile Ablatherm-HIFU units in Germany. These units are expected to achieve maximum utilization levels by the first quarter of 2007 demonstrating the ongoing HIFU growth in Germany.
“The DGU was a tremendous success on all fronts with a clear consensus from the German urology community that EDAP and its Ablatherm-HIFU is the true global leader in technology, clinical success and service for the localized prostate cancer HIFU market,” said Johannsen. “With now more than 10 years of success treating patients in Germany at top German hospitals, EDAP has amassed a wealth of credibility in this key global market, very likely to be the launching point for HIFU as the future of medicine for prostate cancer patients. During the event, EDAP celebrated the 10 years of Ablatherm-HIFU in Germany with the participation of its long term users which reflected their strong commitment with EDAP and their trust in the HIFU technology. Throughout the congress the EDAP booth was staffed by users representing many of the luminary centers and practitioners in the German urology community offering their experience in HIFU based on the therapy’s clear success and benefits.
“Going forward, we intend to continue rolling out our marketing programs including outreach to both doctors and patients. We will educate both these important audiences about the benefits and opportunities with HIFU therapy. Informed patients are better able to choose the therapy option that fits their lifestyle needs in treating the cancer rather than giving up so much to accept a more invasive therapy that may leave them with serious recovery or side effect concerns. Doctors are very interested in meeting these interests of their patients, including the use of Ablatherm-HIFU as an important part of the treatment field going forward.”
“We are receiving a strong response to these recently launched initiatives,” said Hugues de Bantel, CEO of EDAP TMS S.A. “We are seeing a clear increase in the number of visits to our informational web site http://www.hifu-planet.com by both doctors and patients who are learning of HIFU through friends, colleagues and educational resources such as media articles and the Internet. Patient testimonials and the many Ablatherm success stories are increasingly driving patients to ask their doctors for HIFU options alongside traditional treatment considerations and growing the market demand. Our increasing efforts in Germany and other key markets in Europe are certainly yielding results as we continue to invest our dedicated marketing capital into this important program. We look forward to reporting our successes as they occur in these key markets.”
About EDAP TMS S.A.
EDAP TMS S.A. develops and markets Ablatherm, the most advanced and clinically proven choice for High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) treatment of localized prostate cancer. HIFU treatment is shown to be a minimally invasive and effective treatment option with a low occurrence of side effects. Ablatherm-HIFU is generally recommended for patients with localized prostate cancer (stages T1-T2) who are not candidates for surgery or who prefer an alternative option, or for patients who failed radiotherapy treatment. The company is also developing this technology for the potential treatment of certain other types of tumors. EDAP TMS S.A. also produces and commercializes medical equipment for treatment of urinary tract stones using Extra-corporeal Shockwave Lithotripsy (ESWL).
For more information on the Company, contact Halliburton Investor Relations at (972) 458-8000, the Corporate Investor Relations Dept at +33 (0)4 78 26 40 46 or see the Company’s Web sites at http://www.edap-tms.com and http://www.hifu-planet.com .
In addition to historical information, this press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These include statements regarding the Company’s growth and expansion plans. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations and are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, those described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Ablatherm- HIFU treatment is in clinical trials but not yet FDA approved or marketed in the United States.
CONTACT: EDAP TMS S.A. Hugues de Bantel - Philippe Chauveau Blandine Confort +33 4 78 26 40 46 Halliburton Investor Relations Matt Kreps - Geralyn DeBusk 972 458 8000
EDAP TMS S.A.
CONTACT: Hugues de Bantel, or Philippe Chauveau, or Blandine Confort, allof EDAP TMS S.A., +33-4-78-26-40-46; or Matt Kreps, or Geralyn DeBusk, bothof Halliburton Investor Relations, +1-972-458-8000, for EDAP TMS S.A.
