October 21, 2009 - GE Healthcare has entered into an agreement to purchase certain assets of ONI Medical Systems, Inc., expanding GE Healthcare's Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) capabilities, offering healthcare professionals a broader range of MRI products to enable more cost-effective imaging procedures in a variety of patient care settings. Financial terms were not disclosed.
ONI Medical Systems is a provider of high performance, low-cost, dedicated purpose MRI systems. This includes the MSK Extreme 1.0T and the MSK Extreme 1.5T, a compact designed, high-field, truly open configuration extremity MRI systems available in the medical marketplace. ONI's scanners are designed specifically for imaging of the extremities - only the joint being imaged is inside of the scanner. ONI's products also have a small footprint for convenient siting in limited spaces and premium image quality, allowing clinicians the same diagnostic confidence for extremity imaging at a lower cost when compared to a whole body MRI unit.
"One of the cornerstones of GE's healthymagination vision is to develop and invest in technologies that increase quality, improve access and decrease costs. In line with this vision, the addition of ONI's products enhances our magnetic resonance business. It gives us an opportunity to explore technologies that will increase patient access for claustrophobic patients, products with a smaller footprint and premium image quality, and specialty systems that provide advanced, cost-effective MR patient imaging," said Jim Davis, vice president and
general manager of GE Healthcar's global MR business.
Both MSK Extreme 1.0T and MSK Extreme 1.5T scanners are applicable to healthcare providers in hospitals, imaging centers and orthopedic/sports medicine practices where there is a need for an anatomy-specific MRI system that.provides a quiet, comfortable, non-claustrophobic experience for patients. The current installed base of these two products is more than 175 units worldwide, including some of the top academic hospitals in the world.
ONI's musculoskeletal MRI systems have a combination of features - high image quality, fast scan times, robust pulse sequences, and a small footprint. Even patients with extreme cases of claustrophobia are able to sit comfortably for their MRI scan, with no compromises in image quality compared to whole-body scanners. ONI MRI systems can be placed alongside other whole body MRI units in hospitals and imaging centers to reduce patient backlogs, or as the main system in orthopedic/ sports medicine offices that need fast, high quality, patient
friendly MRI.
The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the 4th quarter of 2009.
For more information: www.gehealthcare.com and www.onimri.com
