LYON, France, Jan. 21, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EDAP TMS SA (Nasdaq:EDAP), the global leader in therapeutic ultrasound, announced today the first installation of its Ablatherm-HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound) machine at Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital (MPUH) in Kheda, India. MPUH is the first treatment center in India to acquire the Ablatherm robotic HIFU system, providing the entrance to a substantial new and promising market for EDAP.
Dr. Mahesh Desai, Head of Urology at Muljibhai Patel Urological Hospital, stated, "We are excited to launch India's first Ablatherm-HIFU center offering a proven therapeutic solution for patients with localized prostate cancer. Following a comprehensive training program under Dr. Thuroff's leadership (Harlaching Hospital, Germany), one of the most experienced urology centers using Ablatherm-HIFU, we treated our first seven patients with great success. We look forward to offering more patients the benefits of this innovative technology."
Marc Oczachowski, EDAP's Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are very enthusiastic to bring Ablatherm-HIFU's compelling technology to India, providing EDAP with the opportunity to enter a new global market that offers a robust growth potential. India is a particularly important market for Ablatherm-HIFU as physicians there demand access to the latest technologies to address the growing number of annual prostate cancer cases among the country's 1.15 billion population. We are excited to see the ongoing success of increased adoption of our product portfolio as a result of our aggressive sales and marketing efforts targeting both urologists and patients."
Mr. Oczachowski, concluded, "We continue to make progress on penetrating both new and existing markets with our Ablatherm-HIFU technology. As announced on our last earnings conference call, we successfully converted the majority of our third quarter 2008 backlog into revenue during the fourth quarter of 2008. We look forward to releasing top-line preliminary fourth quarter and full year 2008 financial results during the first week of February 2009."
About EDAP TMS SA
EDAP TMS SA 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. Approved in Europe as a treatment for prostate cancer, Ablatherm-HIFU (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) is currently undergoing evaluation in a multicenter U.S. Phase II/III clinical trial under an Investigational Device Exemption granted by the FDA. The Company also is developing this technology for the potential treatment of certain other types of tumors. EDAP TMS SA also produces and commercializes medical equipment for treatment of urinary tract stones using extra-corporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL). For more information on the company, please visit http://www.edap-tms.com, http://www.hifu-planet.com and http://www.pcaresearch.com or http://www.urotoday.com/HIFU.
Forward-Looking Statements
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 FDA-approved or marketed in the United States.