CLEVELAND, Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- ViewRay™, a
privately held medical device company, announced today that it has
entered into an exclusive distributor agreement with ITOCHU
Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange TYO: 8001) to sell its MRI-guided
radiation therapy system for the treatment of cancer in
Japan. ViewRay's technology, the
MRIdian™ (me-rid-i-an) system, is the world's first and only
MRI-guided radiation therapy system that images and treats cancer
patients simultaneously.
ITOCHU is one of the three largest general trading companies in
Japan and has a global presence in
a broad spectrum of industries, including machinery, textile, food,
energy, healthcare and information technology. ITOCHU has been
focusing on the healthcare business to promote important medical
innovations in Japan for
approximately 40 years.
"We are delighted to announce our partnership with ITOCHU," said
Chris A. Raanes, President and CEO
of ViewRay Incorporated. "ITOCHU has a history of over 150 years in
Japan, the second largest
single-country market for radiation therapy systems in the world.
Through our partnership with ITOCHU, we look forward to making the
benefits of our breakthrough technology widely available to
Japanese physicians and patients over the next few years."
The MRIdian system is designed to improve the accuracy of cancer
treatments through a patented combination of simultaneous Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI) and radiation therapy delivery. With
continuous soft-tissue imaging, clinicians can more clearly see the
cancer target, monitor where the actual radiation dose is being
delivered, and adapt to changes in the patient's anatomy – all in
real time, providing a more precise and personalized cancer
treatment option.
Initial interest in MRI-guided radiation therapy is already
growing in Japan following the
December 2014 annual JASTRO meeting
where former ASTRO president, Michael
Steinberg, M.D., presented on the advanced capabilities of
the technology to over 250 of his peers. To see this presentation,
please click here.
"We are very pleased and excited to partner with ViewRay," said
Koichi Kato, General Manager of
ITOCHU Corporation, Healthcare Business Department. "With a
large aging population, the number of patients suffering from
cancer is increasing every year. We strongly believe ViewRay's
MRIdian system can support every effort of physicians and patients
to fight against cancer with its unique MRI-guided radiation
therapy technology."
About ViewRay
ViewRay Incorporated of Cleveland, Ohio, is a privately held medical
device company developing advanced radiation therapy technology for
the treatment of cancer. The MRIdian system provides continuous
soft-tissue imaging during treatment, using MRI-guided radiation
therapy, so that clinicians are able to see where the actual
radiation dose is being delivered and adapt to changes in the
patient's anatomy. For more information, visit
http://www.viewray.com.
ViewRay and MRIdian are trademarks of ViewRay Incorporated.
ViewRay acknowledges the contribution of the State of Ohio, Department of Development and
Third Frontier Commission, which provided funding in support of the
MRI Technology Enabling Expansion of MRI into Radiotherapy Guidance
Project.
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SOURCE ViewRay Incorporated