Varian to Add Powerful Interactive Prescription Engine for Treatment Planning in Radiation Oncology

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems, Inc., (NYSE: VAR) today announced plans to offer cancer centers a powerful new interactive software engine that will enable radiation oncologists to quickly create, review and optimize radiotherapy and radiosurgery dose prescriptions for their patients.  The company has acquired HyperDrive™ software technology that will be further developed to both improve the quality of prescriptions and accelerate the treatment planning process. 

HyperDrive was developed by Karl Otto, adjunct professor of medical physics at the University of British Columbia, who was also instrumental in the development of Varian's RapidArc® radiotherapy, which expedited delivery of high-precision intensity-modulated radiation therapy.

"HyperDrive is real-time, interactive technology that will enable physicians to assess a large number of treatment options in only a few minutes.  They will be able to evaluate the trade-offs between different strategies for maximizing dose to a tumor while reducing doses to nearby tissues and organs," Otto said.  "Once physicians have used HyperDrive to find the optimal dose distribution for their patients, they will be able to generate an electronic treatment prescription that contains more information about the physician's intent than was possible before."

"HyperDrive will be a powerful complement to the RapidPlan® software, which uses prior knowledge to help clinical teams produce higher quality treatment plans," said Corey Zankowski, vice president, product and strategic portfolio management. "Combining HyperDrive with RapidPlan will let physicians create extremely refined 3-D prescriptions in minutes.  This combination should result in better treatment plans with fewer back-and-forth consultations between the physician and the dosimetrist who creates the treatment plan based on the physician's prescription."

Varian plans to integrate the HyperDrive technology into the company's market-leading Eclipse™ treatment planning system, which is in use at some 3,400 cancer treatment centers around the world.  It will be made available for sale in conjunction with Eclipse and RapidPlan.  Eclipse was named "Category Leader" in the 2014 and 2013 "Best in KLAS: Software and Services Report" from KLAS, a research firm that specializes in monitoring and reporting on the performance of healthcare vendors.   

The company acquired HyperDrive and other assets from Otto in September, and is not disclosing the financial details of the transaction.

About Varian Medical Systems
Varian Medical Systems, Inc., of Palo Alto, California, focuses energy on saving lives by equipping the world with advanced technology for fighting cancer and for X-ray imaging.  The company is the world's leading manufacturer of medical devices and software for treating cancer and other medical conditions with radiation. The company provides comprehensive solutions for radiotherapy, radiosurgery, proton therapy and brachytherapy. The company supplies informatics software for managing comprehensive cancer clinics, radiotherapy centers and medical oncology practices. Varian is also a premier supplier of X-ray imaging components, including tubes, digital detectors, and image processing software and workstations for use in medical, scientific, and industrial settings, as well as for security and non-destructive testing.  Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 6,900 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 www.varian.com or follow us on Twitter.

Forward Looking Statements
Except for historical information, this news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements concerning industry and market outlook, including customer demand and acceptance of products or technology; growth drivers; the ability of the company's technology and products to interoperate or perform as described; the ability of the company's technology and products to treat cancer or improve treatment plans, treatments or outcomes; and any statements using the terms "will," "should," "can," "plans," or similar statements are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the company's actual results to differ materially from those anticipated.  Such risks and uncertainties include the ability to effectively integrate new products into the company's; demand for the company's products; the company's ability to develop, commercialize, and deploy new products; the impact of competitive products and pricing; the effect of global economic conditions; the company's ability to meet legal and regulatory requirements; changes in the legal or regulatory environment; and the other risks listed from time to time the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company assumes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements in this release because of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Press Contact
Meryl Ginsberg
Varian Medical Systems
+1 (650) 424-6444
[email protected]

SOURCE Varian Medical Systems, Inc.

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