Profound Medical Corp. (NASDAQ:PROF; TSX:PRN) (“Profound” or the
“Company”), a commercial-stage medical device company that develops
and markets customizable, incision-free therapies for the ablation
of diseased tissue, today announced that it has entered into a
definitive co-sales and co-marketing agreement with Siemens
Healthineers, a global leader in medical technology, pursuant to
which the companies will commercialize a new MRI-guided prostate
therapy solution which combines Profound’s TULSA-PRO® system and
consumables with Siemens Healthineers’ Magnetom Free.Max magnetic
resonance (“MR”) scanner.1
The Transurethral Ultrasound Ablation (“TULSA”)
procedure, performed using Profound’s TULSA-PRO® system, employs
real-time MR guidance for precision to preserve prostate disease
patients’ urinary continence and sexual function, while killing the
targeted prostate tissue via a precise sound absorption technology
that gently heats it to kill temperature (55-57°C). TULSA-PRO®
enables surgeons to ablate whole- or partial-gland prostate tissue
in patients with low-, intermediate, or high-risk prostate cancer;
with benign prostatic hyperplasia (“BPH”); as well as those
prostate cancer patients on active surveillance seeking treatment
of their cancer and relief from their symptoms of BPH. TULSA is an
incision- and radiation-free “one-and-done” procedure performed in
a single session that takes a few hours. Virtually all prostate
shapes and sizes can be safely, effectively, and efficiently
treated with TULSA. There is no bleeding associated with the
procedure; no hospital stay is required; and most TULSA patients
report quick recovery to their normal routine.
In late October 2024, the U.S. Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) issued its outpatient
prospective payment system (OPPS) and its Physician Fee Schedule
(PFS) final rules (“Final Rules”) for the three new CPT® Category 1
codes and their descriptors covering the TULSA procedure, which
will become effective on January 1, 2025. With the Final Rules,
TULSA reimbursement was raised to Urology Level 7 Ambulatory
Payment Classification (“APC”) from the Urology APC Level 6
proposed in July 2024. Uniquely for prostate treatment modalities,
TULSA codes have been assigned to all three sites of service:
Hospital Outpatient (HOPD), Ambulatory Surgical Center (“ASC”), and
Private Office/Non-Facility (OBL). The spectrum of the location of
service will ensure TULSA patients can be treated in an unrivalled
number of settings.
Magnetom Free.Max from Siemens Healthineers is
an innovative MR scanner that combines a 0.55 Tesla field strength
with advanced hardware design and the proprietary deep learning
image reconstruction technology, Deep Resolve. The first and only
open 80 cm bore system available on the market, Magnetom Free.Max
also facilitates MR scanning for larger and/or claustrophobic
patients, enhancing the patient experience. The magnetic field
strength of 0.55 Tesla combined with the 80 cm open bore make
Magnetom Free.Max a particularly suitable MR system for
interventional procedures. Weighing only 3.2 tonnes and with a
height of <2 m, Magnetom Free.Max is the most lightweight,
compact superconducting MRI scanner ever offered by Siemens
Healthineers. Its reduced size permits installation with only
minimal structural modifications. Furthermore, where MR scanners
typically require several hundred liters of helium and a quench
pipe for cooling purposes, the new magnet of the Magnetom Free.Max
uses only 0.7 l of liquid helium and no quench pipe, reducing
lifecycle and infrastructure costs. For these reasons, Magnetom
Free.Max reduces the acquisition, installation and operating costs
compared to those associated with conventional superconducting MR
scanners, and has simplified MRI integration in locations
previously not suitable for MR imaging.
Michael D. Fabrizio, MD, FACS, Professor of
Urology Eastern Virginia Medical School Urology of Virginia, Past
President MidAtlantic Section of the American Urological
Association (AUA), and Co-founder The Atlantic Clinic, said, “It is
exciting to see these two innovative medical technology companies
join forces to market a complete interventional MRI solution that
will not only support the Modern Treatment Pathway for prostate
disease, but also make TULSA accessible in the widest possible
range of treatment settings. Heretofore, my large urology group
partners and I have been performing RARP procedures on prostate
cancer patients exclusively at a hospital, but have transitioned to
our freestanding ASC (ambulatory environment) when possible. As the
complete interventional MRI solution1 will make performing the
TULSA procedure in an ASC both practically and economically
feasible, many of us are much more interested in exploring adoption
of the technology.”
Donald Hardie, Head of Global Marketing &
Sales Magnetic Resonance at Siemens Healthineers, commented, “We
were excited to present our common vision with Profound for a
complete MRI-guided prostate therapy solution1 at its physician
peer-to-peer ‘PRO-TALK Live!’ event in September 2024. This
complete solution represents the convergence of our respective
cutting-edge diagnostic and interventional MR technologies.
Magnetom Free.Max has already brought MR to new places, including
orthopedic centers, rural hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical
Centers, where patients need diagnostic quality MR imaging most. We
look forward to working with Profound to help expand access to
prostate disease treatment with TULSA as well.”
“Our definitive co-sales and co-marketing
agreement with Siemens Healthineers aligns perfectly with our goal
of ensuring that our technology can be readily accessed by
urologists and their prostate disease patients in the widest
possible range of treatment settings, especially now that CMS has
recognized the value proposition of the TULSA procedure and placed
it at Urology APC Level 7,” said Arun Menawat, Profound’s CEO and
Chairman. “Importantly, the Magnetom Free.Max offers image quality
that is comparable to larger 1.5T scanners.2,3 Accordingly, this
new program which Profound is calling TULSA+, is ideally suited for
ASC's that already need high-quality MR imaging for their
orthopedic applications, but will now be able to leverage the
investment for urological treatment of prostate cancer and/or BPH
as well. Given the positive Final Rules, the TULSA+ program not
only has the potential to provide flexible access to the technology
in the surgical departments of hospitals, in ASCs, and even in
doctors’ offices, but also a strong economic case for user adoption
regardless of setting.”
Subject to the completion of the compatibility
process of TULSA-PRO® and Magnetom Free.Max, the companies
currently expect to initiate sales of the total prostate solution
in 2025.1
Sources
1 The product is still under development and not
commercially available. It is not for sale in the U.S. Its future
availability cannot be ensured.
2 Lopez Schmidt I, et al. Diagnostic Image
Quality of a Low-Field (0.55T) Knee MRI Protocol Using Deep
Learning Image Reconstruction Compared with a Standard (1.5T) Knee
MRI Protocol. J Clin Med. 2023 Feb 28;12(5):1916. doi:
10.3390/jcm12051916. PMID: 36902704; PMCID: PMC10003576.
3 Bandettini, W.P., et al. A comparison of cine
CMR imaging at 0.55 T and 1.5 T. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 22, 37
(2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12968-020-00618-y
About Profound Medical
Corp.
Profound is a commercial-stage medical device
company that develops and markets customizable, incision-free
therapies for the ablation of diseased tissue.
Profound is commercializing TULSA-PRO®, a
technology that combines real-time MRI, robotically-driven
transurethral ultrasound and closed-loop temperature feedback
control. The TULSA procedure, performed using the TULSA-PRO®
system, has the potential of becoming a mainstream treatment
modality across the entire prostate disease spectrum; ranging from
low-, intermediate-, or high-risk prostate cancer; to hybrid
patients suffering from both prostate cancer and benign prostatic
hyperplasia (“BPH”); to men with BPH only; and also, to patients
requiring salvage therapy for radio-recurrent localized prostate
cancer. TULSA employs real-time MR guidance for precision to
preserve patients’ urinary continence and sexual function, while
killing the targeted prostate tissue via precise sound absorption
technology that gently heats it to 55-57°C. TULSA is an incision-
and radiation-free “one-and-done” procedure performed in a single
session that takes a few hours. Virtually all prostate shapes and
sizes can be safely, effectively, and efficiently treated with
TULSA. There is no bleeding associated with the procedure; no
hospital stay is required; and most TULSA patients report quick
recovery to their normal routine. TULSA-PRO® is CE marked, Health
Canada approved, and 510(k) cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (“FDA”).
Profound is also commercializing Sonalleve®, an
innovative therapeutic platform that is CE marked for the treatment
of uterine fibroids and palliative pain treatment of bone
metastases. Sonalleve® has also been approved by the China National
Medical Products Administration for the non-invasive treatment of
uterine fibroids and has FDA approval under a Humanitarian Device
Exemption for the treatment of osteoid osteoma. The Company is in
the early stages of exploring additional potential treatment
markets for Sonalleve® where the technology has been shown to have
clinical application, such as non-invasive ablation of abdominal
cancers and hyperthermia for cancer therapy.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release includes forward-looking statements
regarding Profound and its business which may include, but is not
limited to, the expectations regarding the efficacy of Profound’s
technology in the treatment of prostate cancer, BPH, uterine
fibroids, palliative pain treatment and osteoid osteoma; and the
success of Profound’s U.S. commercialization strategy and
activities for TULSA-PRO®. Often, but not always, forward-looking
statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans",
"is expected", "expects", "scheduled", "intends", "contemplates",
"anticipates", "believes", "proposes" or variations (including
negative variations) of such words and phrases, or state that
certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might"
or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Such statements are based
on the current expectations of the management of Profound. The
forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release,
may not occur by certain specified dates or at all and could differ
materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and
uncertainties affecting the Company, including risks regarding the
medical device industry, regulatory approvals, reimbursement,
economic factors, the equity markets generally and risks associated
with growth and competition. Although Profound has attempted to
identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events
or results to differ materially from those described in
forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause
actions, events or results to differ from those anticipated,
estimated or intended. No forward-looking statement can be
guaranteed. Except as required by applicable securities laws,
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they
are made and Profound undertakes no obligation to publicly update
or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new
information, future events, or otherwise, other than as required by
law.
For further information, please contact:
Stephen KilmerInvestor Relationsskilmer@profoundmedical.com T:
647.872.4849
Susan ThomasPublic Relationssthomas@profoundmedical.com T:
619.540.9195
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