Crawley, UK, September 5th 2012 -- The UK’s NHS Supply Chain has selected 10 TrueBeam™ machines from Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) for an innovative program to roll out the most modern cancer treatments for patients in the country’s public hospitals. The agreement for a minimum order of 10 machines between April 2012 and March 2013 was signed in April. The first three TrueBeam linear accelerators, which are available via NHS Supply Chain, have already been ordered for cancer centres in Hereford, Hull and Clatterbridge, Liverpool.
“NHS Supply Chain has devised an innovative way to stimulate replacement of older systems within NHS hospitals and we are delighted that TrueBeam, the most advanced linear accelerator available, is being offered through this channel,” says David Scott, Varian’s UK sales director. “Approximately two-thirds of all treatment machines ordered in the UK are Varian systems and with this program we will continue as the premier supplier to National Health Service hospitals, developing technologies that offer patients advanced radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatments that can be delivered faster and more efficiently than is possible with any other system.”
Designed to treat a moving target with unprecedented speed and accuracy, Varian’s TrueBeam system incorporates numerous technical innovations that dynamically synchronize imaging, patient positioning, motion management, and treatment delivery during a radiotherapy or radiosurgery procedure. TrueBeam has been designed from the ground-up to advance the treatment of lung, breast, prostate, intracranial, head and neck, and other types of cancer.
Key components of the TrueBeam system are manufactured at Varian’s UK facility where advanced patient positioning systems and more than 600 high-performance couches are produced annually. The site, where more than 230 people work, is also home to research, design and engineering functions that are integral to the company’s leadership in radiotherapy systems.
“With a company mission to help save 100,000 additional lives each year, Varian has pioneered the development of advanced radiotherapy technologies such as 4D intensity modulated radiotherapy, image-guidance, arc therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery, and these technologies are now being used routinely in the UK’s cancer centres to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of radiotherapy and radiosurgery treatments,” said Andy Partridge, UK manufacturing manager.
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Editorial contact: Neil Madle, Varian Medical Systems, +44 7786 526068
About Varian Medical Systems
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiotherapy, radiosurgery, and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is a premier supplier of tubes, digital detectors, and image processing workstations for X-ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies high-energy X-ray devices for cargo screening and non-destructive testing applications. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 6,000 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sales and support offices around the world. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com or follow us on Twitter.