EDAP Continues Growth of German Ablatherm-HIFU Market for Localized Prostate Cancer
29 September 2005 - 5:14AM
PR Newswire (US)
LYON, France, Sept. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EDAP TMS S.A.
(NASDAQ:EDAP), the world leader in High Intensity Focused
Ultrasound treatment of localized prostate cancer, is pleased to
report continued and successful growth of its presence in the
German market. On September 21-24 EDAP participated in the DGU
congress held in Dusseldorf. The EDAP booth was strongly attended
and numerous contacts were established with interested physicians.
Judith Johannsen, General Manager of EDAP in Germany, commented:
"This event was a great success for EDAP confirming Ablatherm-HIFU
as an established therapy for localized prostate cancer in Germany.
Three to four additional contracts to provide Ablatherm treatments
on a mobile basis will be finalized very soon; training sessions
are already scheduled." EDAP continues to address growing interest
in Ablatherm-HIFU in Germany where more than 35,000 men are
diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. The growing base of
opinion leader support and more than 2,500 German Ablatherm- HIFU
treatments since 1996 continue to develop new interest among the
medical community. The pace of treatments is increasing due to
expansion in the number of centers offering treatment. At the end
of August, Germany accounted for 3 fixed and 18 mobile
Ablatherm-HIFU sites, up from seven mobile sites at the start of
the year. Additionally, the first Austrian site, Lainz Hospital in
Vienna, with Pr. Heinz Plfueger, opened in September. The company
plans to continue growth of sites in German speaking countries
based on the existing body of successful treatments. Prof. Funke
from Jung-Stilling Hospital in Siegen, who successfully began using
Ablatherm-HIFU in September on a mobile basis commented: "I first
learned about HIFU in literature and presentations. I attended a
treatment session in Munich and was impressed by the procedure and
results obtained by Pr. Chaussy & Dr. Thuroff. I decided to
offer this alternative therapy to my patients who cannot undergo
surgery. Ablatherm-HIFU treatment shows very low side effects and
the procedure is easy and brief." Judith Johannsen stated: "With an
additional mobile device made available earlier this summer, we now
can meet the expanding demand for mobile treatment and offer the
Ablatherm-HIFU technology to a wider number of patients. We clearly
see strong interest in this type of minimally invasive therapy from
physicians and patients. Our mobile model allows physicians to try
the technique without an initial investment, then offers them the
possibility to acquire the device when treatments exceed 50 to 60
per year. We receive regular calls from patients inquiring about
centers where the therapy is available. We also receive feedback,
often via patient advocacy groups, about the success of patient
treatments and how pleased they feel with the preservation of their
quality of life as compared to other testimonies of patients
treated with more invasive techniques." As part of its continued
expansion and strengthening of its clinical leadership in the
German market, EDAP in September initiated an additional
multi-center Ablatherm-HIFU study with planned follow-up of five
years. This study involves highly renowned university hospitals
such as the Urologische Klinik der Charite in Berlin, the
Uniklinikum in Aachen, in Dresden and in Halle, the Krankenhause
Nordwest in Frankfurt/Main and St Theresien Krankenhause in
Nuremberg. Prof. K. Miller from the Urologische Klinik der Charite,
Campus Benjamin Franklin, will lead the study. The objective of the
study is to evaluate and confirm the low side effects associated
with the treatment. This study will include the assessment of
clinical parameters such as PSA, but will also consider individual
and personal evaluations pre- and post-treatment using
international standard questionnaires to outline the preservation
of patient quality of life when using Ablatherm-HIFU minimally
invasive therapy. Judith Johannsen added: "We are very excited
about the launch of this new study. The large university centers
involved in this study lend significant credibility to
Ablatherm-HIFU's position as the leading technology offering an
alternative to patients with prostate cancer and who cannot have
surgery or who failed radiotherapy. This study adds to our efforts
in educating patients and physicians and informing them about the
availability of Ablatherm-HIFU technology in Germany. We recently
also opened a third training center in Germany, at St Antonio
Hospital, Gronau, with Dr. Witt acting as the training physician on
the use of Ablatherm-HIFU. We are very thankful to the physicians
who have supported EDAP to date in successfully building our
clinical credibility in Germany." EDAP CEO Hugues de Bantel
commented: "We are very pleased to see continued growth in our
Ablatherm-HIFU business in Germany, the third largest market in the
world for medical devices and the largest in Europe, where we have
enjoyed a very good response to date. The support of key opinion
leaders is delivering strong interest from the urology community.
We will further develop this interest through continued studies and
increased marketing programs addressing this key audience. We
expect to fully utilize the second mobile unit we have recently
placed with physicians to treat an ever growing number of patients
each month. We also anticipate some mobile Ablatherm-HIFU users
will decide to acquire a fixed unit as their treatment numbers
grow." 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.
The company is also developing this technology for the 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 the Investor Relations Dept by
phone at +33 (0)4 78 26 40 46 or see the Company's Web site at:
http://www.edap-tms.com/ . This press release contains, in addition
to historical information, 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 the 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. CONTACT: EDAP TMS S.A. Hugues
de Bantel - Philippe Chauveau Blandine Confort +33 4 78 26 40 46
Halliburton Investor Relations Matt Kreps - Geralyn DeBusk 972 458
8000 DATASOURCE: EDAP TMS S.A. CONTACT: Hugues de Bantel, Philippe
Chauveau or Blandine Confort, all of EDAP TMS S.A.,
+33-4-78-26-40-46; or Matt Kreps or Geralyn DeBusk, both of
Halliburton Investor Relations, +1-972-458-8000, for EDAP TMS S.A.
Web site: http://www.edap-tms.com/
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