Varian Medical Systems' New Eclipse Radiotherapy Treatment Planning Software Gains FDA 510 'k' Clearance | Varian

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Varian Medical Systems' New Eclipse Radiotherapy Treatment Planning Software Gains FDA 510 'k' Clearance

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BW HeathWire)--May 16, 2001--Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE:VAR) today announced it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the first high-performance Windows-based treatment planning system for cancer radiotherapy. The company's new Eclipse(TM) 3D treatment planning and virtual simulation software is designed to significantly speed up treatment planning by automating many time-consuming functions.

"Eclipse is a lightening-fast planning tool that can take the place of more expensive, UNIX-based planning systems. It puts the most advanced treatment planning tools on users' desktops in a PC/Windows environment," said Timothy Guertin, president of Varian Medical Systems' oncology business. "Eclipse incorporates state of the art treatment planning, graphics, simulation, and dose visualization tools. We've added fast calculation capabilities that dramatically reduce the processing time associated with previous planning tools."

Eclipse, which will be exhibited at the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) meeting in Salt Lake City July 22-26, is designed to meet the demands of planning advanced radiation therapies.

The software features new user-friendly tools that make it possible for clinicians to quickly identify the contours of cancerous tumors and surrounding healthy organs for more precise treatment planning. A streamlined user interface and sophisticated planning templates further simplify the treatment planning process.

Eclipse complies with the industry imaging standard, DICOM RT, and can import and register any set of DICOM images from anatomical and functional imaging devices such as CT, MRI, PET, and SPECT. Oncologists routinely use functional imaging techniques to locate metabolically active parts of a tumor. Eclipse incorporates these images to help define the region that will be treated with radiation, and to establish radiation dosages.

Eclipse enables clinicians to visualize whether a particular treatment strategy will provide adequate tumor coverage, and make adjustments to avoid "hot" or "cold" spots (areas of too much or too little radiation).

Eclipse is the latest addition to Varian's line of products for planning and delivering advanced radiotherapy cancer care. It integrates treatment planning with the overall therapy process, taking full advantage of Varian's VARiS(R)/Vision(TM) database, a centralized depository of patient data and information generated during simulation and treatment.

For more information, call 800/544-4636 or 650/424-5700 or visit www.varian.com.

Varian Medical Systems, Inc., (NYSE:VAR) of Palo Alto, Calif., is the world's leading manufacturer of integrated cancer therapy systems and is a premier supplier of X-ray tubes and flat-panel sensors for imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 2,400 people. The company reported sales of $690 million in its most recent fiscal year ended September 29, 2000. For more information, visit www.varian.com.

This press release contains certain forward looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 which provides a "safe harbor" for these types of statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results of Varian Medical Systems, Inc. to differ materially from management's current expectations. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, product demand and market acceptance risks; the availability of healthcare reimbursement; the impact of managed care initiatives in the U.S. on capital expenditures; and other risks detailed in Varian Medical Systems, Inc. filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

CONTACT: Varian Medical Systems, Inc.
Spencer Sias, 650/424-5782
spencer.sias@varian.com
Meryl Ginsberg, 650/424-6444
meryl.ginsberg@varian.com