Varian Acquires CyberHeart

Company Adds Technology for Cardiac Radioablation to Its Radiation Medicine Portfolio

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Acquisition Key Highlights

• The CyberHeart acquisition secures significant intellectual property/patents that cover the use of radiation in the heart.
• Early positive clinical evidence suggests that cardiac radioablation has the potential to offer hope to patients with intractable cardiac arrhythmias.
• Acquisitions are a critical step in Varian’s long-term strategy to become a global leader in multi-disciplinary, integrated cancer solutions as well as other applications of radiation medicine.

Varian (NYSE: VAR) today announced it has acquired CyberHeart, a privately-held company with intellectual property (IP) that covers the use of radiation in the heart (cardiac radioablation) and other forms of radiosurgery for cardiovascular disease.

“Based on the early positive clinical results in ventricular tachycardia we have seen from other investigators, we believe that this technology can offer hope to cardiac arrhythmia patients,” said Dee Khuntia, chief medical officer at Varian. “Cardiac radioablation would truly be a paradigm shift, bringing together two specialties—radiation oncology and cardiac electrophysiology—to collaborate in the treatment of cardiac patients.”

“Varian has a long track record of innovations in the field of radiation medicine and has successfully commercialized radiosurgery technology for treating both benign and malignant lesions,” said Kolleen Kennedy, president of Varian Proton Solutions & chief growth officer. “We look forward to expanding our focus on patient-centered innovation to the cardiac radioablation space.”

First in-human studies of radioablation in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine¹ and Circulation².

“While cardiac radioablation technologies are not yet approved by the FDA, we feel that the results of these recent early studies are promising enough to warrant investment in this area,” Kennedy said. “We’re now working to evaluate the CyberHeart IP portfolio and determine priorities for development and clinical trials going forward.”

Varian’s acquisition of CyberHeart involved the transfer of IP.

¹ Cuculich, Phillip S., et al. “Noninvasive cardiac radiation for ablation of ventricular tachycardia.” New England Journal of Medicine 377.24 (2017): 2325-2336.

² Robinson, Clifford G., et al. “Phase I/II trial of electrophysiology-guided noninvasive cardiac radioablation for ventricular tachycardia.” Circulation 139.3 (2019): 313-321.

About Varian
Varian is a leader in developing and delivering cancer care solutions and is focused on creating a world without fear of cancer. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Varian employs approximately 7,000 people around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com and follow @VarianMedSys on Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information, this news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements concerning industry or market outlook, including growth drivers; and any statements using the terms “could,” “believe,” “would,” “look forward,” “will” or similar statements are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the company’s actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such risks and uncertainties include our ability to achieve expected synergies from acquisitions; global economic conditions and changes to trends for cancer treatment regionally; the impact of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (including excise taxes on medical devices) and any further healthcare reforms (including changes to Medicare and Medicaid), and/or changes in third-party reimbursement levels; demand for and delays in delivery of the company’s products; the company’s ability to develop, commercialize and deploy new products; the company’s ability to meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory requirements, regulations or procedures; changes in regulatory environments; the impact of competitive products and pricing; and the other risks listed from time to time in the company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which by this reference are incorporated herein. The company assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements in this release because of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Press Contact

Mark Plungy
Director, Global Public Relations
+1 (650) 424-5630
mark.plungy@varian.com

Investor Relations Contact

J. Michael Bruff
Senior Vice President, Investor Relations
+1 (650) 424-5163
investors@varian.com

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SOURCE Varian

Company Codes: NYSE:VAR