Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium, 3 May 2018 - IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A., EURONEXT), the world’s leading provider of proton therapy solutions for the treatment of cancer, today announces that after an in-depth selection process, it has been selected as preferred vendor by the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) to install a Proteus®ONE* compact proton therapy solution in Milan, Italy. This will be IBA’s 22nd installation of its compact single-room proton therapy solution.
IEO and IBA signed a binding term sheet with a down payment for the delivery of a Proteus®ONE solution, including IBA’s latest generation Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS), isocenter volumetric imaging (Cone Beam CT) capabilities and a long-term operation and maintenance agreement. The hospital expects to start treating patients by the end of 2020. The typical end-user price for a Proteus®ONE system with a maintenance contract is between EUR 35 and 40 million. IBA and IEO have agreed to work in good faith to complete negotiations of the Final Agreement by year-end.
Olivier Legrain, Chief Executive Officer of IBA, commented: “We are delighted that IBA has been chosen by the European Institute of Oncology to build its proton therapy center which strengthens our world leading position in proton therapy and demonstrates IBA’s superior product offering in the market. Our Proteus®ONE solution is a unique truly compact intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) system and alongside its open gantry and track record of short installation time is the solution of choice for an increasing number of hospitals in all regions of the world. We look forward to collaborating with IEO to provide greater access to proton therapy for cancer patients in Italy.”
Mr Mauro Melis, Chief Executive Officer of IEO, commented: “The European Institute of Oncology is today a reference point in research and cancer care, both at the national and European level. The IEO Advanced Radiotherapy Center in particular is ranked amongst the top five centers in Europe for technology equipment and number of patients treated. With the new Proton Center we will contribute to the development of international clinical studies on the clinical use of proton therapy, and at the same time we will expand our state-of-the-art offering of cancer therapies. It is therefore important for us to partner with IBA to bring the world’s leading proton beam therapy equipment to more cancer patients in Italy.”
Prof. Roberto Orecchia, Scientific Director of IEO, said: “Proton therapy is a superior form of radiotherapy and nowadays represents a new and better chance of treatment for many cancer forms in children and adults. However, there is still a lot we have to discover about proton therapy. An important value of entering into a partnership with IBA is to become part of its impressive proton therapy user community and to participate in its research collaborations. We are convinced that proton therapy will gain importance in the fight against cancer. Worldwide estimates indicate that 20% of cancer patients could benefit from this treatment, whereas today only 0.8 % of radiotherapy patients receive proton therapy.”
