PLANTATION, Fla., May 6, 2021 /CNW/ - Akumin
Inc. (NASDAQ: AKU) (TSX: AKU) ("Akumin"), a leading provider
of freestanding, fixed-site outpatient diagnostic imaging services
in the United States, today
announced the signing of a multi-site imaging center agreement for
TULSA-PRO® with 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.
Pursuant to the agreement, Profound expects to install
TULSA-PRO® systems at up to 10 Akumin
centers to be outfitted with diagnostic and therapeutic imaging
services specifically dedicated towards men's health. All of these
TULSA-PRO® systems will be placed under
Profound's per procedure business model. The initial geographic
focus of the relationship will be in the State of Florida, with Texas and Pennsylvania expected to follow. Based upon
the success of the first 10 installations, the two companies hope
to expand their relationship in the future to include additional
Akumin men's health centers.
"Akumin is introducing a new service offering with centers
focused on men's health. In collaboration with urologists and using
a consumer-centric approach, Akumin's goal is to redefine the
delivery of prostate care through diagnostic imaging, minimally
invasive treatment, and post-treatment monitoring," said
Riadh Zine, President and Chief
Executive Officer of Akumin.
"TULSA-PRO® is a customizable and
incision-free prostate disease treatment system that minimizes the
impact on men's functional abilities and provides the highest
quality of life after treatment. We are excited to partner with
Profound to offer this revolutionary technology to our physicians
and patients."
"We believe that Akumin will be a particularly strong partner
for us given its strategy to become a leading full-service provider
of men's health and its geographic density in Florida, one of the largest markets for
prostate care in the country," commented Arun Menawat, Profound's CEO and Chairman. "With
respect to timing, we currently expect the first Akumin
TULSA-PRO® site to be operational in the
fourth quarter of 2021."
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. TULSA-PRO® is designed to
provide customizable and predictable radiation-free ablation of a
surgeon-defined prostate volume while actively protecting the
urethra and rectum to help preserve the patient's natural
functional abilities. TULSA-PRO® has
the potential to be a flexible technology in customizable prostate
ablation, including intermediate stage cancer, localized
radio-recurrent cancer, retention and hematuria palliation in
locally advanced prostate cancer, and the transition zone in large
volume benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
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.
About Akumin Inc.
Akumin is a leading provider of freestanding, fixed-site
outpatient diagnostic imaging services in the United States with a network of owned
and/or operated imaging centers located in Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas and Georgia. By combining our
clinical expertise with the latest advances in technology and
information systems, our centers provide physicians with imaging
capabilities to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of diseases
and disorders and may reduce unnecessary invasive procedures,
minimizing the cost and amount of care for patients. Our imaging
procedures include MRI, CT, positron emission tomography (PET),
ultrasound, diagnostic radiology (X-ray), mammography, and other
interventional procedures.
Forward-Looking Information
Certain information in this press release constitutes
forward-looking information. In some cases, but not
necessarily in all cases, forward-looking information can be
identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as
"plans", "targets", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected",
"an opportunity exists", "is positioned", "estimates", "intends",
"assumes", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes", or
variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions,
events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will" or "will
be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". In addition, any statements
that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations
of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking
information. Statements containing forward-looking information are
not historical facts but instead represent management's
expectations, estimates and projections regarding future
events.
Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of
opinions, assumptions and estimates that, while considered
reasonable by Akumin as of the date of this press release, are
subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and
other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity,
performance or achievements to be materially different from those
expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including
but not limited to the factors described in greater detail in the
"Risk Factors" section of our Annual Information Form dated
March 31, 2021, which is available at
www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov. These factors are not
intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could
affect Akumin; however, these factors should be considered
carefully. There can be no assurance that such estimates and
assumptions will prove to be correct. The forward-looking
statements contained in this press release are made as of the date
of this press release, and Akumin expressly disclaims any
obligation to update or alter statements containing any
forward-looking information, or the factors or assumptions
underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise, except as required by law.
SOURCE Akumin Inc.