STOCKHOLM, Sweden - (Business Wire) Regulatory News: At Elekta’s (STO:EKTAB) Capital Markets Day held in connection to the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO), in Chicago, USA, Elekta presented new tools for improved clinical precision, workflow efficiency and patient comfort. Highlights included Intuity™*and Symmetry™* advanced image-guidance solutions that build upon the company’s existing expertise.
“We are proud to once again introduce practice-changing innovations in imaging that demonstrate Elekta’s continued leadership in IGRT,” says Tomas Puusepp, President and CEO of Elekta.
Elekta presented new independent clinical research discussing the advantages of stereotactic radiosurgery for treating of multiple brain metastases in comparison to whole brain radiation therapy.
“This research underlines the advantages of Leksell Gamma Knife Perfexion. It is designed for fast and efficient treatment of multiple brain metastases. No other technology has the ability to treat multiple targets in the brain with the same clinical outcome and speed”, says Åsa Hedin, Executive Vice President, Elekta Neurosurgery. Elekta reiterated its financial guidance for the fiscal year 2009/10 of a net sales growth by more than 8 percent in local currency and operating profit growth in SEK by more than 35 percent. The positive currency effect is expected at close to SEK 250 M.
Elekta reiterated its market outlook of a flat development in North and South America for the fiscal year 2009/10 and commented on the new US reimbursement rates, presented by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
The reimbursement levels remain stable for hospitals while freestanding centers will face decreased reimbursement levels.
“This is positive news for our hospital based customers, who are representing more than 80 percent of our business in the US market. A harmonization was foreseen in the reimbursement levels between hospitals and freestanding centers, and this is what we are now seeing”, says Jay Hoey, Executive Vice President and CEO of Elekta North America.
In Europe, Elekta expects a solid demand for the fiscal year 2009/10. In Asia Pacific, Elekta expects continued long term growth.
Elekta is continuing to execute on its plan for geographical expansion in key emerging markets. Russia is one of several geographical areas with a large un-met need for cancer care and Elekta has been selected to deliver clinical solutions to nine cancer centers throughout the country this year.
“With a complete portfolio of products and solutions, fulfilling the clinical demands, Elekta is in a strong position for future growth in new territories. Emerging markets will increase in importance over time”, concluded Mr. Puusepp.
Meeting highlights
• Intuity, Elekta’s next release of IGRT software, will allow clinicians to understand continuous changes in the positional relationships of both tumor and healthy tissues at the time of treatment. For the first time, this innovation will allow accurate patient repositioning to ensure target coverage without inadvertently placing organs at risk into the beam path.
• Symmetry will be the next generation of image guidance, creating new solutions for motion management. This unique and patented innovation will allow clinicians to accurately quantify the set-up changes required to accommodate ‘baseline shifts’ (tumor path changes between treatments). Symmetry’s use of anatomically correlated guidance is an alternative to gating and offers significantly shorter treatment times with less set-up complexity.
• In celebrating the production of their 2,000th digital linear accelerator, Elekta will unveil a sixth-generation digital treatment control system, Integrity™**. Taking advantage of a complete re-engineering into the LynX OS platform, Integrity adds to its reputation for efficiency and reliability; MLC interdigitation, continuously variable dose rate for VMAT and enhanced virus protection.
• Elekta Infinity, a premier digital linear accelerator optimized for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT). With its unique multi-arcing capabilities, Infinity delivers unmatched dose conformance, treatment speed and ultra-low dose safeguards and is the only fully integrated treatment system that allows personalization of imaging and treatment workflows.
• MOSAIQ® 2.0 , a comprehensive oncology charting solution that increases productivity, elevates efficiency and facilitates high-quality patient care. Complete with new connectivity, new functions and database enhancements, while preserving the user interface, MOSAIQ supports the entire cancer team by uniting diverse systems and devices.
• Monaco® with VMAT, a next generation IMRT treatment planning system that helps make the planning process easier, more straightforward and clinically reliable. With reduced planning time and increased clinical throughput, Monaco with VMAT optimizes single or multiple non-coplanar arcs simultaneously, providing the flexibility and control needed for complex treatment plans.
• Extend™, a stereotactic treatment program that lets neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists apply the power and precision of Gamma Knife® surgery to a broader class of targets in the head and neck. Now available in the United States, Extend for Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™ includes a re-locatable frame and support for fractionated treatments, which provides cross functional advantages in stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy for neurosurgeons and radiation oncologists.
During the ASTRO meeting there are daily clinical presentations, Sunday, November 1 – Tuesday, November 3 at Elekta booth 2501. For a complete speaker schedule, visit www.elekta.com/astro_presentations
*Intuity and Symmetry are feature sets of XVI 4.5, works in progress requiring a 510(k) review and not yet available in the U.S.
**Integrity is a works in progress requiring 510(k) review and not yet available in the U.S.
About Elekta
Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy and radiosurgery, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care.
Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both healthcare providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives, making the future possible today.
Today, Elekta solutions in oncology and neurosurgery are used in over 5,000 hospitals globally, and every day more than 100,000 patients receive diagnosis, treatment or follow-up with the help of a solution from the Elekta Group.
Elekta employs around 2,500 employees globally. The corporate headquarter is located in Stockholm, Sweden, and the company is listed on the Nordic Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. For more information about Elekta, please visit www.elekta.com.
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For further information, please contact:
Stina Thorman, Investor Relations, Elekta AB
Tel: +46 8 587 254 37, +46 70 778 60 10, e-mail: stina.thorman@elekta.com
or
Michelle Lee, Director, Marketing Services, Elekta Inc.
Tel: +1 770-670-2447, e-mail: michelle.lee@elekta.com
