EDAP TMS S.A. Launches Educational HIFU Tours in Europe
EDAP TMS S.A. Launches Educational HIFU Tours in Europe
LYON, France, March 6 /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 successful launch of its newest marketing and education initiative, the HIFU Tour, in Germany, the largest prostate cancer market in Europe.
EDAP and the Ablatherm-HIFU device are the most advanced HIFU technology in the world for localized prostate cancer strongly backed by multicenter and peer reviewed clinical publications. This position enables EDAP to take the lead in educating physicians through local peer-to-peer education and conversion seminars designed to introduce HIFU to urologists and encourage doctors to commit to training on the Ablatherm-HIFU device, the only device in HIFU shown to have high success rates and low side effects independent of user bias.
"These HIFU Tours will occur in major European countries where EDAP is presently making aggressive forays into marketing and education to raise awareness of Ablatherm-HIFU as a key part of the urologist's treatment offering for localized prostate cancer patients," said Marc Oczachowski, Chief Operating Officer and director of the company's marketing initiatives in Europe. "EDAP is the only HIFU company worldwide to offer such compelling and clear clinical data on techniques proven over more than a decade of use. As such, our medical partners actively using HIFU are now supporting the full marketing launch of Ablatherm-HIFU on a peer-to-peer education basis. We are already seeing very strong interest on a larger scale than at any time in the past. We are very excited about the opportunity to secure more sites and users more quickly through this strong support and our enhanced training programs."
The HIFU Tours bring together groups of urologists from a local area to meet and discuss HIFU through presentations by regional expert users. EDAP's HIFU Tour program delivers key messages to physicians outlining the advantages of adding HIFU to the therapeutic options offered to their patients. Ablatherm-HIFU demonstrates high success rates, low side effects, preserves patient quality of life, and can offer a solution to external beam radiation therapy failures where patients previously had no other alternative. Physician benefits include a quick learning curve, high repeatability and lower risk through Ablatherm's robotized system. Also, urologists can retain control of their patients by offering a new therapeutic option instead of referring nonsurgical patients to radiotherapy. During the HIFU Tour, EDAP details all options available to facilitate access to the technology including referrals to a nearby Ablatherm center, EDAP's industry leading Revenue Per Procedure program on a dedicated or mobile basis, leasing, and equipment purchase.
This process is designed to accelerate the conversion of urologists and general practitioners to the Ablatherm-HIFU encouraging increased referral to nearby HIFU centers and faster adoption at centers ideal for HIFU services. This should move Ablatherm-HIFU toward standard of care status for localized prostate cancer. Through this program, EDAP is able to address dozens of urologists simultaneously in a peer environment demonstrating the strong support of Ablatherm-HIFU as opposed to its prior one-on-one conversion process.
"Urologists and general practitioners are receiving growing pressure from patients to investigate HIFU as a choice in their therapeutic options," said Judith Johannsen, General Manager of the company's German subsidiary. "Clearly EDAP's patient outreach is succeeding and driving doctors to learn about HIFU, then refer patients to a local center for therapy in the proper cases. These HIFU Tours will not only seek to add centers, but also increase the referral stream for these centers from urologists and general practitioners in the surrounding community who do not yet have HIFU in their own center."
The tours have received strong positive feedback already from participants in Bremen, Berlin and Gottingen. Upcoming cities include Koln, Stuttgart and Munchen to be completed by March 14. Doctors are particularly focused on learning the proper indications for referring a patient to HIFU and how to direct him to a nearby center in Germany if the local hospital is not actively offering HIFU.
"Clearly the doctors attending these sessions now see HIFU as an effective and attractive patient option that they need to begin offering rapidly," said Johannsen. "EDAP's strong patient education efforts are very clearly succeeding as the doctors attending had many patients inquiring about HIFU, driving the practitioner to learn more about Ablatherm and how to refer patients, if not actively begin treating themselves, through EDAP's Revenue Per Procedure opportunity in the future. EDAP is also bringing more speakers on HIFU with many German university centers now fully supporting HIFU as well as experienced urologists from all stages of their careers who offer HIFU successfully. The German urology community recognizes now HIFU is a key tool for them to retain and treat successfully their nonsurgical patients as well as growing interest in radiation failure patients where few options exist."
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 .
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