IBA and Elekta team up on proton therapy

SAN DIEGO, 23 September 2017 – IBA (Ion Beam Applications) and Elekta (EKTA-B.ST) announced today that they have entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to agree to work closely together in software development as well as the sales and marketing of each other's products. The announcement was made at the occasion of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting, which is taking place September 24-27 in San Diego. 

The companies intend to co-invest in developing new functionality for proton therapy treatment in Elekta's Monaco® treatment planning system and MOSAIQ® oncology information system. The purpose is to offer a more seamless experience for comprehensive radiotherapy departments and further improve patient care. 

In addition to the software development collaboration, both companies expect to offer a joint portfolio of radiation therapy solutions and co-market each other's products, based on a shared vision of integration and adaptive radiation therapy. 

Richard Hausmann, President and CEO of Elekta, says: "We believe that proton therapy is an important tool in radiation treatment for specific indications and we are very pleased to partner with IBA, the global leader in proton therapy, to further integrate their products into our software solutions." 

Olivier Legrain, IBA CEO, adds: "Elekta has always been a pioneer in the field of radiation therapy. Our culture of innovation and collaboration fits well with Elekta and we are excited to join forces based on a shared vision of integration." 

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Penn Medicine treats world's first patient on Halcyon System

PALO ALTO, CA, 21 September 2017 – Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) today announced a patient at Penn Medicine, with head & neck cancer, became the first person in the world to be treated on Varian's Halcyon™ system, its new platform for cancer treatment. Halcyon is well suited to handle the majority of cancer patients, offering advanced treatments for prostate, breast, head & neck, and many other forms of cancer.

The treatment for this patient at Penn Medicine was a complex case that involved the delivery of nine fields. The total patient time in the treatment room, including set-up, imaging, three minutes of beam time and patient discharge, was only 13 minutes*. Typically, a treatment like this using other radiation technology can take 10 minutes of beam time and 20 minutes total treatment time. Halcyon is an advanced system that is more comfortable for the patient while delivering ease of use for healthcare providers, accelerated installation timeframes, expedited commissioning, simplified training, and automated treatment.

“The first patient treatment is a major milestone for the Halcyon system," said Kolleen Kennedy, president of Varian's Oncology Systems business. "Working closely with leading institutions like Penn Medicine, helped shape the human-centered design focus of Halcyon and our ability to deliver a system that simplifies and enhances virtually every aspect of image-guided volumetric intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). We are excited to see treatments commencing and continuing our efforts of advancing cost-effective cancer care worldwide." "We are proud to have delivered the world's first Halcyon treatment, which contributes to our ongoing mission to provide patients the widest and most advanced array of cancer treatment options," said James Metz, MD, chair of Radiation Oncology at Penn Medicine. "This platform combines reduced treatment time with simplified operation, and for some diseases, it even lets us be more precise with the radiation we're delivering."

For more information on Halcyon, visit www.varian.com/halcyon

*Results may vary

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