HIFU Technology for Prostate Cancer Treatment Approved
Published: May 13, 2005
Misonix, Inc., a developer of ultrasonic medical device technology for the treatment of cancer and other healthcare purposes, today reported that the United Kingdom’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued a full guidance report to the National Health Service (NHS) in England, Scotland and Wales on high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for prostate cancer treatment.
Misonix has the exclusive rights to distribute the Sonablate 500®, which utilizes HIFU for the treatment of prostate cancer. Misonix distributes the Sonablate 500 in Europe and has successfully sold a unit in London, among other markets. The Sonablate 500 is developed and produced by Focus Surgery of Indianapolis, Indiana, which has Misonix as a minority owner. The guidance report from NICE suggests that reimbursement for HIFU should be determined shortly. Upon this determination, Misonix believes that HIFU treatment using the Sonablate 500 would become a more acceptable and affordable treatment for prostate cancer, which may be offered throughout the United Kingdom through the NHS.
According to the guidance report, “NICE has considered [HIFU for prostate cancer] because it is relatively new. NICE has decided that the procedure is safe enough and works well enough for use in the NHS.” The NHS was set up 56 years ago and is now the largest organization in Europe. Funded by the governments in which services are offered, the NHS is recognized as one of the best health services in the world by the World Health Organisation. Part of the NHS, NICE is an independent organization responsible for providing national guidance on treatments and care for people using the NHS. NICE guidance is intended for healthcare professionals, patients and patient caregivers to help them make decisions about treatment and healthcare. NICE guidance is developed using the expertise of the NHS and wider healthcare community including NHS staff, healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers, industry and the academic community.
Nick Stevens, Managing Director of UKHIFU, the Misonix distributor for the Sonablate 500 in England, stated, “We are extremely excited about the NICE report. The interest we are receiving in the Sonablate 500 has increased significantly. Consumers and potential patients are quickly recognizing the advantages of the Sonablate 500 for many appropriate procedures over alternative and more radical treatments such as surgery or radiation. Our mission is to provide the highest possible standard of surgeon training and to ensure that every patient treated with the Sonablate 500 receives an effective cancer treatment, but without the serious side-effects associated with older style treatments.”
The UK Department of Health has released figures showing the number of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer has increased by 50% in the last 5 years and will reach an expected 40,000 per annum by the end of 2005. Misonix believes that many of these cancer patients will benefit by using HIFU technology, which is increasingly being recognized as a noninvasive, safe and effective method of treatment. The NICE report described HIFU to be markedly different form other therapies in that it: “Does not involve an incision and therefore avoids the risk of a surgical site infection; avoids ionizing radiation and its associated acute and chronic toxicities; and, can be administered as a day case procedure using local anesthesia resulting in a patient discharge 1-2 hours after the procedure.”
About UKHIFU:
UKHIFU Limited was founded to bring the benefits of HIFU technology to cancer sufferers and their families. Prostate cancer is the first cancer to be treated with HIFU technology in the UK using the Sonablate 500 system from Misonix and Focus Surgery from the USA. It is that other cancers will be treated using HIFU in the future. Additional information on UKHIFU may be found on the Internet at www.ukhifu.co.uk.
(press release)
· Central Cancer Reserach Index
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