YOQNEAM, Israel, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Given Imaging Ltd. today announced that the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic has issued a reimbursement policy for PillCam SB capsule endoscopy. This decision is effective immediately and provides reimbursement for approximately 7 million Czech citizens who are covered by the Vseobecna zdravotni pojistovna insurance company.
The policy covers reimbursement of PillCam SB for suspected small bowel disease including bleeding, tumors and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) following a negative gastroscopy or colonoscopy.
"Reimbursement in the Czech Republic reflects growing recognition in European countries of the important role that PillCam SB plays in detecting and monitoring diseases of the small bowel," said Gavriel D. Meron, president and CEO of Given Imaging. "We continue to work closely with officials from the Ministries of Health in those countries where PillCam is not yet reimbursed and anticipate additional policies to be issued in 2006."
Approximately 115 million Europeans now have access to PillCam SB capsule endoscopy.
About Given Imaging
Given Imaging is redefining gastrointestinal diagnosis by developing, producing and marketing innovative, patient-friendly products for detecting gastrointestinal disorders. The company is developing a complete line of PillCam(TM) video capsules for detecting disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. The company's technology platform is the Given(R) Diagnostic System, featuring the PillCam video capsule, a disposable, miniature video camera contained in a capsule, which is ingested by the patient. The PillCam(TM) SB capsule is the only naturally ingested method for direct visualization of the entire small intestine. It is currently marketed in the United States and in more than 50 other countries and has benefited more than 260,000 patients worldwide. The PillCam(TM) ESO video capsule, which provides visual examination of the esophagus, has been cleared for marketing by the FDA. Additional capsules for visualization of the stomach and colon are under development. Given Imaging's headquarters, manufacturing and R&D facilities are located in Yoqneam, Israel; it has direct sales and marketing operations in the United States, Germany and France, and local offices in Japan, Spain and Australia. For more information, visit http://www.givenimaging.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements about Given Imaging, including projections about our business and our future revenues, expenses and profitability, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For example, statements in the future tense, words such as "anticipates," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance identify such forward-looking statements. Those forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations as a result of numerous factors, including but not limited to the following: changes in regulatory environment, our success in implementing our sales, marketing and manufacturing plan, protection and validity of patents and other intellectual property rights, the impact of currency exchange rates, the effect of competition by other companies, the outcome of future litigation, the reimbursement policies for our product from healthcare payors, quarterly variations in operating results, the impact of the newly adopted SFAS 123R for expensing option-based payments, the possibility of armed conflict or civil or military unrest in Israel and other risks disclosed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Given Imaging Ltd.CONTACT: Yuval Yanai, Given Imaging Ltd.; or Fern Lazar,flazar@lazarpartners.com, or David Carey, dcarey@lazarpartners.com, both ofLazar Partners Ltd., 866-GIVEN-IR
Web site: http://www.givenimaging.com/
