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GE Healthcare, InSightec Sign Worldwide Sales and Marketing Agreement for ExAblate 2000; Focused Ultrasound System Non-Invasively Treats Uterine Fibroids; System Powered by GE Healthcare Equipment
8/17/2005 8:00:11 AM

MILWAUKEE, Aug 17, 2005 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- GE Healthcare, a unit of General Electric Company (GE), announced today a new worldwide distribution/sales representation agreement with InSightec Image Guided Treatment Ltd. for the sales and marketing of ExAblate(R) 2000, the world's first magnetic resonance image (MRI) guided focused ultrasound system designed to non-invasively treat uterine fibroids.

Under the terms of the agreement, GE, a minority shareholder in InSightec, will have exclusive worldwide distribution rights for ExAblate 2000 with the exception of Japan and Russia where InSightec has existing distributors and representatives. InSightec and GE also will collaborate on research and development and marketing. The agreement is for five years, effective immediately.

ExAblate 2000 is a non-invasive therapy system that combines MRI with highly focused ultrasound to thermally ablate, or destroy, tumors in the body and is only compatible with GE's MR systems. The system is intended to provide a non-invasive alternative to current treatments for symptomatic uterine fibroids, treatments including hysterectomy, myomectomy, uterine artery embolization and drug therapy.

Specifically, ExAblate 2000 in combination with GE's Signa MR system allows physicians to locate and measure the size of a tumor before precisely ablating it through concentrated sound wave energy without incision. It also gives doctors real-time therapy planning capabilities through tools that monitor thermal effects, ensuring the procedure's efficacy and the patient's safety.

To date, approximately 1,200 women have been treated with ExAblate 2000 for uterine fibroids, a benign condition that affects approximately 25 percent of all women, and clinical trials are underway for bone, liver, and breast tumors.

ExAblate 2000 received Food and Drug Administration approval in the United States in October 2004. ExAblate 2000 received the European Union's CE mark and ISO 9001, paving the way for treatment sites in Europe, Israel and Japan.

About GE Healthcare

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies that are shaping a new age of patient care. GE Healthcare's expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring and life support systems, disease research, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helping physicians detect disease earlier and tailor personalized treatments for their patients. GE Healthcare offers a broad range of products and services that are improving productivity in healthcare and enhancing patient care by enabling healthcare providers to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases, and other conditions.

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a $15 billion unit of General Electric Company (GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 43,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.

About InSightec

InSightec Image Guided Treatment Ltd. is a privately held company owned by Elbit Medical Imaging (EMI), General Electric, private investors and employees. It was founded in 1999 to develop the breakthrough MR guided Focused Ultrasound technology and transform it into the next generation operating rooms. Headquartered near Haifa, Israel, the company has over 100 employees and has invested more than $80 million in research, development, and clinical investigations. Its U.S. headquarters are located in Dallas, Texas. For more information, please go to: http://www.insightec.com/

SOURCE: GE Healthcare

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