GE Healthcare becomes US distributor and reseller of Veran's ig4 navigation system

GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE) and Veran, a provider of proprietary 4D registration capability for precise targeting of lesions via its FDA cleared platform, today announced a strategic supplier agreement in which GE Healthcare becomes the exclusive distributor and reseller of Veran's ig4 navigation system in the United States. The deal brings together GE Healthcare's best-in-class Innova imaging systems and Veran's innovative electromagnetic navigation to create a comprehensive interventional oncology solution under a single point of contact.

“GE Healthcare's healthymagination vision is extremely synergistic with the mission that Veran Medical has by having its focus directed in the interventional oncology market.”

Need for Interventional Oncology
The National Cancer Institute estimated more than 1.5 million new cases of cancer in the United States in 2010. Trend reports show cancer incidences are increasing in internal organs such as the thyroid, liver and kidneys. 

Doctors have historically treated cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, or some combination of the three. But newer image-guided minimally invasive treatments are demonstrating effectiveness, and the new specialty of interventional oncology is gaining favor. These highly specialized procedures are performed under real-time image guidance to destroy primary tumors and metastases. Some key challenges of these procedures are multimodality planning, real time guidance through complex anatomies and ability to treat selectively.

Enhanced Imaging and Navigation
The multimodality Veran ig4 system helps clinicians deliver instruments to small targets in difficult to access regions of the human body in order to diagnose and treat disease minimally invasively. The navigation system uses electromagnetic localization and 4-dimensional (x, y, z time) registration to display an interventional instrument, such as a biopsy needle, or an ablation needle, on a computer monitor with respect to anatomic imaging and treatment planning.

This system is compatible with GE's Innova imaging systems, which acquire CT-like patient images of the target organ(s) that can be exported to the navigation system in the same imaging suite, during the same interventional procedure. The resulting displayed image provides navigation information to help physicians insert biopsy needles, ablation (RF, cryotherapy, and microwave) probes and other devices through the skin more quickly and with greater target accuracy. Also, using Innova CT images with Veran ig4 System may help to reduce the absorbed radiation dose through decreased use of fluoroscopy.

"This is exciting news for our customers who want to perform complex procedures in a timely fashion with more confidence. The combined systems can help clinicians achieve greater accuracy, perform procedures more quickly and reduce radiation dose," said Chantal Le Chat, General Manager of Interventional Radiology, GE Healthcare.

"GE Healthcare and Veran share a vision for improving healthcare delivery, and this agreement is well aligned with GE's healthymagination strategy of improving quality, access and costs for customers and their patients. Together, we offer an end-to-end interventional oncology solution that unites electromagnetic navigation capability with Innova's image quality and dose leadership, the Innova Vision suite of advanced IR applications, and GE's AW workstations. Our wing-to-wing solution can help the IR community solve some of the toughest problems in interventional medicine," said Hooman Hakami, President and CEO, GE Healthcare Interventional Systems.

"Partnering with a global company such as GE Healthcare to significantly increase the access of our cutting edge 4D registration technology is a great step forward for Veran Medical," said Jerome R. Edwards, President and CEO, Veran Medical Technologies. "GE Healthcare's healthymagination vision is extremely synergistic with the mission that Veran Medical has by having its focus directed in the interventional oncology market."