LOS ANGELES, Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.: Reuters IBAB.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB) and Elekta AB (publ) (Stockholm, Sweden: EKTA.ST), today announced a global particle therapy collaboration program to optimize the seamless integration of proton therapy delivery and information management systems within the radiation oncology environment. Both companies currently showcase their products at the 49th Annual Meeting of ASTRO (American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology) held in Los Angeles, CA, USA, from October 28 to November 1, 2007.
The aim of this collaboration program is to offer fully integrated, open and comprehensive cancer treatment solutions to the particle therapy market. Both companies have unique competence in their respective fields of radiation therapy and have decided to join forces to simplify the integration of the many components that is necessary in an advanced proton therapy center. Dynamic coordinated integration of both linear accelerator and particle therapy environments will have significant added value for front-line medical institutions fighting cancer. IBA and Elekta both supply world-leading technology and share the philosophy of open architecture and industry standards.
Under this collaboration agreement IBA and Elekta will provide particle therapy solutions packages to meet specific clinical requirements. On the Elekta side, this can include an array of Elekta products and solutions such as the MOSAIQ(TM) workflow management and information system (OIS), MOSAIQ Proton Therapy module, patient immobilization devices, localization systems, and even the Elekta Synergy(R) advanced IMRT and IGRT delivery system. On the IBA side, the agreement includes the comprehensive Proteus system. More components and solutions may be added in the future based on customer requirements.
The collaboration will also include joint development of future integrated solutions that will offer the most added-value to the world wide proton therapy customers in their daily activities. Complementing this development agreement, the two companies will also join forces in the field of Sales and Marketing, offering optimized commercial solutions to an extended market.
“The IBA proton therapy solution is intrinsically open to interface with any radiation therapy system. However, as cancer centers expect the Oncology Information System (OIS) software and other radiation therapy equipment to operate seamlessly and intelligently with the proton therapy system, the IBA and Elekta joint development will make proton therapy system a benchmark of integration,” said Pierre Mottet, Chief Executive Officer of IBA.
“Radiation therapy is currently undergoing rapid transformation in many areas. Intensity modulation, image guidance and workflow enhancing information management systems are today changing the face of cancer care all over the world. Just as Elekta is the driving force behind most of these improvements on the linear accelerator, IBA has demonstrated their dominant leadership in particle therapy technology and our common customers use our products with the IBA system with great satisfaction,” said Tomas Puusepp, President and CEO of Elekta. “Thanks to the fact that we share the vision of open systems design approach together with joint informal cooperation in the past, we have been able to quickly find common ground, both technically and commercially. Together, IBA and Elekta will be able to offer an optimal solution for every need at a comprehensive cancer center,” Puusepp concluded.
About IBA
IBA delivers solutions of exceptional precision in the fields of cancer diagnosis and therapy. The company also provides sterilization and ionization solutions to improve the hygiene and safety of everyday life. IBA is the undisputed world market leader in Proton Therapy, with more than 50% market share. The company is present in over 40 sites in North America, Europe and Asia with 1,300 employees and its products range are present in over 5,000 hospitals, medical imaging centers and cancer therapy centers around the world. IBA is listed on the pan-European stock exchange EURONEXT, is integrated into the Next Economy market segment, and belongs to the BelMid index. Website: http://www.iba-worldwide.com.
About Elekta
Elekta is an international medical technology group, providing oncologists, radiation therapists, neurosurgeons and many other medical specialists with state of the art tools to fight serious disease.
Elekta provides advanced clinical solutions, comprehensive management and information systems as well as services for improved cancer care and management of brain disorders.
Elekta’s systems and solutions are used in over 4,500 hospitals around the world. Clinical and information management solutions include, among others, Leksell Gamma Knife(R) for non-invasive treatment of brain disorders, Elekta Axesse(TM) and Elekta Synergy(R) for stereotactic and image guided radiation therapy and radiosurgery as well as the MOSAIQ(TM) suite of software for image-enabled EMR and efficient management of clinical and patient data.
With over 2,000 employees globally, the corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. More information about Elekta can be found at www.elekta.com.
CONTACT: Paul-Emmanuel Goethals, Director, Corporate Business Development
& Investor Relations of IBA, +32-10-47-58-16,
paul-emmanuel.goethals@iba-group.com; ELEKTA INVESTOR INQUIRES: Peter
Ejemyr, Group VP Corporate Communications, +46-733-611-000 (mobile),
peter.ejemyr@elekta.com; ELEKTA PRODUCT INQUIRIES: Peter J. Gaccione, Vice
President, Global Marketing, +1-770-670-2380, peter.gaccione@elekta.com
Web site: http://www.elekta.com/
