Varian Medical (NYSE:VAR) said today that it acquired privately-held CyberHeart and its cardiac radioablation tech, and that it inked a cooperative deal with China’s Shangdong Cancer Hospital for proton therapy applications and research.
Palo Alto, Calif.-based Varian said that early clinical evidence from studies of CyberHeart’s cardiac radioablation technology indicated it “has the potential to offer hope to patients with intractable cardiac arrhythmias.”
Data from first-in-human studies of the tech and its treatment of cardiac arrhythmias has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine and Circulation, Varian said.
“Based on the early positive clinical results in ventricular tachycardia we have seen from other investigators, we believe that this technology can offer hope to cardiac arrhythmia patients. Cardiac radioablation would truly be a paradigm shift, bringing together two specialties—radiation oncology and cardiac electrophysiology—to collaborate in the treatment of cardiac patients,” chief medical officer Dee Khuntia said in a press release.
“Varian has a long track record of innovations in the field of radiation medicine and has successfully commercialized radiosurgery technology for treating both benign and malignant lesions. We look forward to expanding our focus on patient-centered innovation to the cardiac radioablation space. While cardiac radioablation technologies are not yet approved by the FDA, we feel that the results of these recent early studies are promising enough to warrant investment in this area. We’re now working to evaluate the CyberHeart IP portfolio and determine priorities for development and clinical trials going forward,” Varian proton solutions prez Kolleen Kennedy said in a prepared statement.
In a separate release also posted today, Varian said that it signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with China’s Shangdong Cancer Hospital and that it was selected to equip a new multi-room proton clinical research center at the hospital with its ProBeam proton therapy system.
Varian said that it will also install its Aria oncology information management system and Eclipse treatment planning software, and that it aims to book the order for the supplies during Q3.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Varian to build a first-class proton therapy center, training and research base, and making this cancer treatment technology available to many more patients in China and Northeast Asia. Once operational, it will also be a platform for technology innovations and clinical translation to develop more advanced clinical research,” Yu Jinming of Shandong Cancer Hospital & Institute said in a prepared release.
“We are honored by this opportunity to strengthen our partnership with Shandong Cancer Hospital & Institute and expand access to proton therapy in China. Leveraging our extensive experience, superior capabilities, robust performance, and rich training and research resources, we are well-positioned to support Proton Clinical Research Center of Shandong Cancer Hospital to achieve its vision. We also hope to work together with Proton Clinical Research Center of Shandong Cancer Hospital to advance Flash therapy and move us closer to a world without fear of cancer,” Kennedy said in prepared remarks.
Last month, Varian Medical saw shares fall slightly after it posted fiscal year 2019 second quarter earnings that topped sales expectations but missed on earnings per share consensus on Wall Street.
