EDAP TMS S.A. Grows Spanish Ablatherm RPP Success
EDAP TMS S.A. Grows Spanish Ablatherm RPP Success
LYON, France, March 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EDAP TMS S.A. (Nasdaq: EDAP), the global leader in High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) treatment of prostate cancer and the international leader in the development, production, and distribution of a wide portfolio of minimally invasive medical devices primarily for the treatment of urological diseases announced the opening of two new sites in Spain treating patients with Ablatherm HIFU using RPP business model. These new Ablatherm users are: El Instituto Medico Tecnologico and Clinica Quiron, both located in Barcelona.
The first Ablatherm-HIFU treatment at Instituto Medico Tecnologico was performed March 12, 2007 by Dr. Gilberto Chechile, a respected opinion leader in the Spanish urology community. The patient, who had suffered previous prostatic disease, had failed radiotherapy for prostate cancer and was using hormone therapy due to local prostatic cancer recurrence. Ablatherm-HIFU was the only treatment option offering a chance for success without significant side effect risk. The treatment was successful, and both patient and urologist were pleased with the HIFU process. Dr. Chechile, regarded as an early adopter of new technologies, has already included a reference to HIFU used for EBRT failure on his web site http://www.urovirtual.net .
Dr. Chechile stated, "I am very pleased to offer the Ablatherm-HIFU option as my patient had no other alternative to treat his prostate cancer after failing the original radiation therapy. When a patient selects and fails a conventional primary therapy he has limited options today for additional treatment. I am convinced Ablatherm-HIFU, based on clear outstanding benefits in terms of successful treatment, low side effects, and must be regarded as a new therapeutic option for patient with localized prostate cancer. I really appreciate the easy access to the technology under EDAP's mobile RPP model. I can schedule the device when needed for patient treatments with no capital investment commitment from the clinic so starting Ablatherm therapy is quite easy. Training was rapid and direct with full support from the application specialist to ensure our success as a new user. This concept is perfectly matched to our needs for top care without major capital investments."
Clinica Quiron, one of the most prestigious private clinics in Spain, successfully treated for the first time with Ablatherm-HIFU therapy on March 13, 2007. Treatments also continued in other Ablatherm-HIFU trained centers in Spain, such as ICUA in Madrid. Following the normal adoption patterns, Dr. Fernando Gomez Sancha first treated in late October 2006, then carefully evaluated the patient outcomes. As is customary with Ablatherm-HIFU, he was fully convinced and is today scheduling new treatments as a regular part of the clinical offering. The same pattern is observed at Clinica Virgen Blanca in Bilbao where Dr. Ander Astobieta has strongly accelerated the treatment pace, now scheduling regular sessions for new localized prostate cancer patients. The center uses the Ablatherm mobile RPP program to offer immediate access without capital investment.
Marc Oczachowski, Chief Operating Officer of EDAP TMS stated, "We selected an excellent partner for Spain in Davanzia. They are strongly committed to EDAP and putting their sales network and connections with renowned urologists to work launching Ablatherm-HIFU throughout Spain. With five sales professionals and a dedicated Ablatherm-HIFU application specialist they are clearly the perfect sales and support partner making Ablatherm available to hospitals and clinics on a mobile RPP basis whenever requested. We clearly see the satisfaction and positive feedback from sites on this RPP model. This also clearly demonstrates the success of our aggressive marketing and sales RPP program recently launched in major European countries and aiming at dramatically increasing Ablatherm-HIFU treatments. Spain is a proof that the RPP model is successfully adapted to countries where we are strongly partnering with our committed distributors. We look forward to the continued growth in Spain and throughout the rest of Europe as these programs continue to launch new sites and grow utilization at existing sites."
About Davanzia
Davanzia has a wide commercial network covering the whole country with offices in the main Spanish cities. The central office is located in Madrid. Further details are available online at http://www.davanzia.com .
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 Magnolia Investor Relations at (972) 801-4900, 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.
To sign up for alerts please visit http://www.b2i.us/irpass.asp?BzID=1053&to=ea&s=0
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. Magnolia Investor Relations
Blandine Confort Matt Kreps
+33 4 78 26 40 46 972 801 4900