March 15 2001
ST. LOUIS , MO and VEENENDAAL, THE NETHERLANDS , March 15, 2001 -- AmeriNet, Inc., the nation’s largest membership-based health care group purchasing organization (GPO), and Nucletron Corporation, a world leader in radiotherapy systems, have signed a three-year agreement for a full range of radiation therapy products. The agreement becomes effective April 1, 2001. Under the agreement Nucletron will offer its full range of radiation therapy products, including the microSelectron high-dose-rate brachytherapy afterloader, the Simulix HP Simulator and PLATOcomplete® Treatment Planning System, featuring Inverse Treatment Planning for IMRT, to AmeriNet members. "We are very pleased and enthusiastic about our growing partnership with AmeriNet," said Peter Dove, director of corporate accounts for Nucletron. "This relationship will enable AmeriNet members to have access to our superior line of innovative products for cancer treatment." "Nucletron brings a broad array of excellent products to our members," said John Sutton, senior contract manager for AmeriNet. "Its innovative products and commitment to service are typical of what makes AmeriNet’s ‘Choice, Voice and Value’ philosophy so appropriate for our members." Nucletron’s microSelectron-HDR™ afterloader is used for brachytherapy treatment of cancer, whether curative or palliative, at virtually any body site, often on an outpatient basis. It is also used for endovascular brachytherapy of peripheral arteries. Through a tiny source, the afterloader delivers high-dose radiation to the treatment site alone, avoiding adjacent healthy tissue. It needs no source preparation, which reduces time, costs and the risk of excessive exposure to radiation. It can be used for interstitial, intracavitary, intraluminal, intra-operative and surface mold treatment techniques and places minimal strain on the patient. The Simulix-HP plays a major role in the simulating and verifying processes of radiation treatment. From tumor localization to precise treatment simulation it meets the crucial requirement for an exact correlation between the patient’s anatomy and complex treatment set-up. The Simulix-HP’s imaging capabilities are complemented by the CT-Extension to satisfy the need for increased treatment precision. The new CT-Assisted Simulation Workstation enables full interactive simulation and verification of 3-D treatment plans before the patient is treated on the linear accelerator. Nucletron recently announced the first clinical use of the new Inverse Treatment Planning system at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. A girl with a recurring endodermal sinus tumor underwent the Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) treatment, a method of planning and delivering conformal radiation using Nucletron’s new PLATOcomplete® Inverse Planning Software (PLATO ITP) on a linear accelerator with a multi-leaf collimator. The girl tolerated the full course of treatment and at her first follow-up did not experience typical bladder and rectal irritations. Nucletron B.V. is a subsidiary of Delft Instruments, N.V., which is listed on Euronext Amsterdam, is the holding company for an international group of companies employing approximately 1,000 people and generating annual sales in excess of NLG 400 million. Delft Instruments mainly sells high-grade instruments, systems and software for medical, industrial and scientific applications developed and/or produced in-house, along with goods for resale. For further information please contact Howard Motter, President & CEO, Nucletron Corporation, Columbia, Maryland, please call 410-312-4100. Additional information about Delft Instruments please visit http://www.delftinstruments.nl/ and Nucletron at www.nucletron.com. Founded in 1986, AmeriNet, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, operates through its three shareholder health care organizations: AmeriNet Central, Intermountain Health Care, Inc. and Vector. It represents 15,117 member facilities in all 50 states, including hospitals, medical group practices, nursing homes, surgery centers, managed care organizations, pharmacies and integrated delivery networks. Additional information about AmeriNet can be found at http://www.amerinet-gpo.com/.