Mountain View, CA, May 12, 2005
IMPAC
Medical Systems, Inc., part of the Elekta
Group and a leading provider of information technology solutions
for oncology care, and the Coalition of Cancer Cooperative
Groups (Coalition), the nation’s premier network of cancer
clinical trials specialists, today announced an agreement to
incorporate the Coalition’s clinical trial database into IMPAC’s
electronic medical record (EMR) designed specifically for
oncology.
Fewer than five percent of adult cancer patients are enrolled in
clinical trials, largely due to the inability of healthcare
providers to easily identify and match patients to available
studies. The agreement allows IMPAC to incorporate the
Coalition’s TrialCheck® cancer clinical trial database directly
into MOSAIQ™, its image-enabled oncology EMR. MOSAIQ Trial
Management will provide clinicians with direct access and
screening capabilities for trials sponsored by the National
Cancer Institute, the Cancer Cooperative Groups, and other
publicly and privately funded sources, while also supporting
screening for specific trials open to accrual at their home
treatment facilities. By working together to bring data and
eligibility determination to the point-of-care, IMPAC and the
Coalition have the potential of significantly increasing trial
enrollment and thereby advancing cancer research.
“We estimate that as many as 200,000 newly diagnosed cancer
patients each year may be clinically eligible to participate in
a clinical trial, yet only about 50,000 patients actually
participate.” explained Dr. Robert L. Comis, Chairman and
President of the Coalition. “Our goal is to see that every
cancer patient is routinely screened for possible matching to a
clinical trial.”
“IMPAC strives to provide our customers with the tools necessary
to enhance practice efficiency and quality of care, and this
agreement will accelerate the search for active clinical
trials,” stated Joseph K. Jachinowski, IMPAC president and CEO.
“In streamlining this process, we are enabling our customers to
offer more clinical trial opportunities to their patients.”
Demonstrations of IMPAC’s oncology-specific EMR and clinical
trials solution will be available at IMPAC’s booth # 2872 during
the
annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
(ASCO) in Orlando, Florida, May 14-16, 2005. Demonstrations of
Coalition products and services will be available at the
Coalition’s booth #1063.
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For more information, please contact:
Julie DeSantis, Public Relations Manager
IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc.
Tel: +1 650-623-8883, e-mail: jdesantis@impac.com
Diane Colaizzi, Media Relations
Coalition of Cancer Cooperatives Groups
Tel: +1 202-744-4343 (Cell),
e-mail:
dcolaizzi@CancerTrialsHelp.org
Investor Enquiries:
International: Peter Ejemyr, Group VP Corporate Communications,
Elekta AB
Tel: +46 733 611 000, e-mail: peter.ejemyr@elekta.com
United States: Lars Jonsteg, VP Investor Relations North
America, Elekta Inc.
Tel: +46 708-783 735, e-mail: lars.jonsteg@elekta.com
About IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc.
IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc., a company in the Elekta Group,
provides healthcare IT solutions that streamline clinical and
business operations across the spectrum of cancer care. IMPAC’s
open integration to multiple healthcare data and imaging systems
offers oncology-specific patient charting and practice
management, as well as best-of-breed systems for anatomic
pathology, clinical laboratory, and cancer registry. With
products that range from diagnosis and treatment through
long-term follow-up, IMPAC provides a comprehensive oncology
management solution that helps improve overall communication,
process efficiency, and quality patient care. For more
information about IMPAC’s products or services, please call
888-GO-IMPAC or visit www.impac.com.
About
Elekta
Elekta is an international medical-technology Group, providing
meaningful clinical solutions, comprehensive information systems
and services for improved cancer care and management of brain
disorders. All of Elekta’s solutions employ non-invasive or
minimally invasive techniques and are therefore clinically
effective, gentle on the patient and cost-effective.
With approx. 1700 employees, Elekta’s corporate headquarter is
located in Stockholm, Sweden and the company is listed on the
Stockholm Stock Exchange under the ticker EKTAb. For more
information about Elekta’s products or services, please visit
www.elekta.com.
About the
Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups
The Coalition of Cancer Cooperative Groups is a non-profit
organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life and
survival of cancer patients by increasing participation in
cancer clinical trials. Founded in 1997, the Coalition was
established to address its members’ shared goal of improving the
clinical trials system. Today, the Coalition is comprised of
members from nine National Cancer Institute-sponsored
Cooperative Groups, 40 patient advocacy organizations and 8,000
oncology and cancer research specialists. The Coalition also
works with its partners in the healthcare industry to streamline
and promote cancer clinical trials in both the public and
private sector. For more information about The Coalition, please
visit www.CancerTrialsHelp.org.
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