Varian Medical Systems Receives SFDA Clearance to Market the UNIQUE(TM) Radiotherapy System in China

Clearance also covers latest release of Eclipse® treatment planning software for planning precise, customized radiotherapy treatments that minimize exposure of healthy tissues

BEIJING, Sept. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Varian Medical Systems, Inc. (NYSE: VAR), the world's leading manufacturer of medical technology for treating cancer with radiotherapy, announced today that China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) has granted clearance to market the UNIQUE™ medical linear accelerator, a single-energy machine for treating cancer with advanced forms of image-guided radiotherapy. The versatile UNIQUE system can be used to deliver intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and RapidArc® treatments, which precisely target tumors while minimizing exposure of surrounding healthy tissues.

The UNIQUE radiotherapy system is the world's first low-energy (6MV) radiotherapy system that can be outfitted with high-tech image-guidance, beam shaping, and RapidArc technology for rapid treatment delivery. It also includes the latest release of Varian's market leading Eclipse treatment planning software, offering clinicians a seamless workflow for planning and delivering advanced radiotherapy treatments. It is a cost effective solution designed to make access to quality care more widely available to cancer patients around the world.

"Epidemiological data show that more than 2.2 million new cancer cases are diagnosed in China each year," said Tom Duffy, head of Varian's Oncology Systems business in Asia. "This presents the dedicated clinicians in China with daunting numbers of patients in need of treatment. Many departments operate two or three shifts to keep up with the demand for access to radiotherapy treatment. In recognition of the challenge, the Chinese Ministry of Health has announced a dramatic increase in the number of licenses available to hospitals for the purchase of additional accelerators. Varian created the UNIQUE system to help address the need for greater access to care in China and other parts of the world."

The UNIQUE system can be used to deliver RapidArc radiotherapy, an arc-based approach that makes it possible to complete an image-guided IMRT treatment in a matter of minutes—up to four times faster than is possible with conventional IMRT.

"The UNIQUE system, with its capacity for fast RapidArc treatments, markedly enhances our treatment capacity," said Dr. Brian Yu, Head of Radiation Oncology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, where a UNIQUE system has been operational since late 2010. "It enables our center to provide timely precision radiotherapy to an increasing number of patients, helping to improve our throughput. Our measurements show that UNIQUE can deliver high quality conventional IMRT and RapidArc treatments."

The UNIQUE system is ideally equipped for treating cancer of the head and neck, breast, cervix, lung, prostate, and other tumors. It is available in two configurations: UNIQUE Performance Edition, which incorporates all the tools needed for image-guided RapidArc radiotherapy, and UNIQUE Power Edition, a more basic platform that can be upgraded at a later time. Either package is ideal for treatment centers looking to transition from older cobalt units to modern radiotherapy technology. The small footprint of the UNIQUE accelerator allows it to fit into most small, existing treatment vaults.

Note: a high-resolution image is available in Varian's online newsroom, at this URL: http://varian.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=31899

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, proton therapy, 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 and digital detectors for X- ray imaging in medical, scientific, and industrial applications and also supplies X-ray imaging products for cargo screening and industrial inspection. Varian Medical Systems employs approximately 6,100 people who are located at manufacturing sites in North America, Europe, and China and approximately 70 sales and support offices around the world. The company's center in Beijing, established three years ago, encompasses oncology equipment manufacturing operations, an educational center for radiotherapy clinical professionals, a customer service center, and X-ray Products assembly and service. For more information, visit http://www.varian.com/ascns.