Medicsight PLC Provides Business Update
February 24 2009 - 9:37AM
PR Newswire (US)
NEW YORK, Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medicsight PLC, a
subsidiary of MGT Capital Investments, Inc. (NYSE Alternext US:
MGT) and an industry leader in the development of Computer-Aided
Detection (CAD) and image analysis software, which assists
radiologists in the early detection of disease, today provided an
update on recent events. The proposed decision of the CMS (Center
for Medicare and Medicaid Services) in the U.S. not to reimburse CT
colonography for colorectal cancer screening has been made in spite
of consistent lobbying made by professional groups and advisors.
Although this proposed decision comes as a disappointment for
Medicsight, the CMS continues to cover CT colonography as a
diagnostic procedure (i.e. where the patient has already presented
symptoms of bowel disease) and the Company is confident that the
decision will not affect the long term viability of the business
model. A number of the private health insurers currently do
reimburse CT Colonography both as a standard screening procedure
and a diagnostic procedure, and the number is expected to gradually
increase. The general consensus within the industry is that the CMS
will revisit this decision. One of the reasons cited for the
proposed CMS decision was that CT colonography is not as accurate
for detecting polyps as the current gold standard, optical
colonoscopy when the scans are read by less experienced reviewers.
Software such as Medicsight's ColonCAD(TM), which assists
radiologists in their detection of polyps, could significantly help
to overcome this problem. Medicsight has global partnership
agreements in place with leading visualization and PACS/ OEM
partners that provide access to the U.S., Japan, Europe, China and
other markets. Medicsight's ColonCAD application is already
installed (but not activated) on a significant number of these
partner workstations. Upon the Company receiving FDA and MHLW
clearance, Medicsight and its partners will immediately start
marketing the software in the U.S. and Japan respectively. Current
economic conditions mean that hospitals are experiencing pressure
to reduce capital expenditure on items costing over $1 million. At
a transfer price of $10,000 per license, Medicsight's software
license is considerably below this threshold, therefore the Company
believes that these cost constraints in hospital expenditure should
not have too large an impact on the business. David Sumner,
Executive Chairman of Medicsight, said: "The CMS proposed decision
and the current economic climate are unfortunate setbacks for
Medicsight. However, whilst the CMS' proposed decision will impact
more on the elderly population, there remains a large proportion of
the at-risk U.S. population in the 50 to 65 year-old age range who
will increasingly be covered by the private health insurers for
colorectal cancer screening by CT colonography. We have 18 million
pounds Sterling of cash in our year end balance sheet, and have
recently implemented a plan to streamline our costs. We continue to
seek new marketing partners and believe that when ColonCAD gains
FDA and MHLW approval we will be well placed to begin an aggressive
sales and marketing drive in the U.S. and Japan." About MGT Capital
Investments, Inc. MGT Capital Investments, Inc. is a technology
holding company that focuses on investments in the global
healthcare information technology market. The Company has two
subsidiaries, Medicsight PLC and Medicexchange PLC. Medicsight PLC
(AIM: MDST) is a UK-headquartered, research driven, leading
developer of computer-aided detection (CAD) and image analysis
software for the medical imaging market. The CAD software
automatically highlights suspicious areas on computerized
tomography (CT) scans of the colon and lung, helping radiologists
to identify, measure and analyze potential disease and early
indicators of disease. Medicsight's CAD software has been validated
using one of the world's largest and most population diverse
databases of verified patient CT scan data. Medicsight's
ColonCAD(TM) and LungCAD(TM) software products are seamlessly
integrated with the advanced 3D visualization workstations of
several industry-leading imaging equipment partners. Medicexchange
PLC provides medical imaging professionals with a global web portal
containing an online sales, jobs and information channel for
diagnostic, treatment and surgery planning solutions. This combined
with a variety of relevant clinical papers, training materials and
content gives these professionals access to information and
products that they otherwise would have difficulty accessing.
Additional information can be found at http://www.mgtci.com/. All
forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the 'safe harbor'
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Forward-looking statements are based on current management
expectations that involve risks and uncertainties that may result
in such expectations not being realized. Potential risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks described
in company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
DATASOURCE: MGT Capital Investments, Inc. CONTACT: Todd Fromer,
+1-212-896-1215, , or Garth Russell, +1-212-896-1250, , both of
KCSA Strategic Communications for MGT Capital Investments, Inc. Web
Site: http://www.mgtci.com/
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