SEATTLE – Aug. 18, 2010 – Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc., a developer of real-time localization technology used for the precise tracking of tumor targets, today announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive product distribution agreement with Siemens Healthcare for the sale of its Calypso® System in Europe. Under terms of the agreement, Siemens retains non-exclusive rights to sell Calypso’s real-time tracking technology to existing and prospective Siemens linear accelerator customers throughout Europe for a period of three years.
“Our distribution agreement with Siemens Healthcare marks an important milestone in our international expansion,” said Jed Palmacci, vice president of global sales for Calypso Medical. “This agreement extends the availability of our GPS for the Body® technology into geographic areas with significant incidences of prostate cancer. We are pleased that our real-time tracking technology will now serve a new patient base.”
Last year Calypso Medical entered into a Master Development Agreement (MDA) with Siemens Healthcare to jointly develop products integrating the Calypso System with the Siemens ARTISTE linear accelerator and other Siemens radiotherapy technologies.
“This distribution agreement with Calypso Medical allows us to offer our customers a comprehensive, state-of-the-art cancer treatment solution,” said Holger Schmidt, chief executive officer of Oncology Care Systems for Siemens Healthcare. "We are pleased to represent Calypso’s technology throughout the European market.”
With recent clinical findings of improved outcomes, Calypso's GPS for the Body technology enables doctors to localize and track the tumor before and during each radiation treatment (1). When the tumor moves outside of the field of radiation, therapy can be stopped while the patient is re-positioned to ensure that the tumor, not surrounding healthy tissue, receives the radiation dose. In contrast to other tumor targeting solutions, the Calypso System provides continuous tumor position information, objectively and without ionizing radiation, thereby safeguarding the patient from an additional non-therapeutic radiation dose.
(1) Sandler H., et al. “Reduction in Patient-reported Acute Morbidity in Prostate Cancer Patients Treated With 81-Gy Intensity-modulated Radiotherapy Using Reduced Planning Target Volume Margins and Electromagnetic Tracking: Assessing the Impact of Margin Reduction Study.” Urology 75, no. 5, (2010): 1004-1008.
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About Calypso Medical
Calypso Medical Technologies, Inc. is a Seattle-based, privately held medical device company. The Company’s proprietary tumor localization system utilizes miniaturized implanted devices (Beacon® electromagnetic transponders) to continuously, accurately and objectively track the location of tumors for improved accuracy and management of radiation therapy delivery. The technology is designed for body-wide cancers commonly treated with radiation therapy. The products are FDA 510(k) cleared for use in the prostate and post-operative prostatic bed and received a CE Mark in the European Union. The Company has strategic relationships with Varian Medical Systems, Siemens Healthcare, Elekta Corporation and Philips Medical. Additional information can be found at www.calypsomedical.com
About Siemens Healthcare
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world's largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids. Siemens offers its customers products and solutions for the entire range of patient care from a single source – from prevention and early detection to diagnosis, and on to treatment and aftercare. By optimizing clinical workflows for the most common diseases, Siemens also makes healthcare faster, better and more cost-effective. Siemens Healthcare employs some 48,000 employees worldwide and operates around the world. In fiscal year 2009 (to September 30), the Sector posted revenue of 11.9 billion euros and profit of around 1.5 billion euros. For further information please visit: www.siemens.com/healthcare.
Krystin Hayward/Wendy Mejia
Schwartz Communications
(781) 684-0770
calypsomedical@schwartz-pr.com
David Betz
Calypso Medical
(206) 330-2621
dbetz@calypsomedical.com
