Accuray and Siemens announced the formation of a strategic alliance, giving Siemens the right to sell Accuray's CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System. Accuray, the manufacturer of the radiosurgery system, will also continue to sell and distribute the unit through its existing networks.

"The strategic alliance provides Accuray a larger footprint in radiation oncology by adding a complementary new sales channel for delivering our technology to a larger patient population while maintaining focus on our unique and market-leading core SRS business," Euan Thomson, president and CEO of Accuray, told DOTmed News.

Under the terms of the alliance, Siemens will also purchase and utilize certain features of Accuray's technology in its linear accelerator products.

"Adding elements of the CyberKnife System features to Siemens linear accelerators will improve patient care and enhance the range of Siemens products," said Thomson. "In turn, this is expected to create a new stream of revenue and gross profits for Accuray."

Thomson said that as Siemens reaches certain sales milestones, it will gain more access to aspects of Accuray's technology.

The companies are also forging a relationship to work on research and development initiatives.

"Over the long term, we expect our R&D alliance with Siemens to create existing growth opportunities for Accuray," said Thomson. "Accuray has considerable expertise in motion-management, and Siemens has expertise in medical imaging and we will be exploring synergies in these areas," he said.

The two companies have also created the Strategic Alliance Steering Committee, which consists of two senior management representatives from Siemens and Accuray. The committee will make decisions regarding the next steps of the strategic alliance.

"We believe that the combination of radiation treatment and advanced imaging will make a significant contribution to the future of cancer care," said Thomson.

More Industry Headlines