Veran announces positive, final results for initial study of SPiNPerc procedure

Veran Medical Technologies, a U.S. based medical device company, announced today the positive, cost-effective final results for the initial study of its innovative SPiNPerc™ procedure. The SPiNPerc endobronchial percutaneous biopsy study results support the use of a percutaneous approach to biopsy when a traditional bronchoscopic method is not possible. Hospitals, patients and physicians experience positive financial outcomes when more can be accomplished in one procedure. This study demonstrated a hospital savings of $693,327 per 200 lung cancer screening patients with positive findings.

In addition to the study, a SPiNPerc clinical trial is in process at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. An interim analysis has shown the procedure to be feasible and safe with final data to be published in the near future. Dr. Lonny Yarmus, Clinical Chief of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Johns Hopkins, stated that, "Veran's SPiNPerc technology gives me the option of an endobronchial and percutaneous approach to detect lung cancer. Many of my patients in the study previously would have needed additional visits to get an answer."

Rob Powers, Veran's Global Vice President of Marketing, noted that, "ENB has been on the market for nearly 10 years and the five-year survival rate remains an unacceptable 15-16%. We are providing both an advanced ENB system and innovations like SPiNPerc that have the potential to impact survival." Powers went on to add, "setting up a comprehensive lung cancer screening program is important. The SPiNPerc procedure clearly offers a cost effective new patient care pathway for those patients with a suspicious lesion found on their CT scan."

The Lung Cancer Management study was written by Dr. K. Adam Lee, Dr. Abhijit A. Raval and Leah Amir. Practice points conclude that "having both navigation bronchoscopy and computed tomography fine-needle aspiration ready on the same platform allows an easy transition from one procedure to the other if the first approach fails."

Dr. K. Adam Lee, thoracic surgeon and expert in the SPiNPerc procedure, said that, "besides the cost effectiveness of SPiNPerc, Veran's technology gives me every tool I need to diagnosis and treat my patient in the best way, which demonstrates the practice of good medicine."