Proton therapy company formed to establish network of treatment
centres
30 June 2010
Proton Therapy USA and CareCapital plc (AIM: CARE) have formed
a new company, Proton Therapy Global Management (PTGM), to design,
develop and manage a global network of proton therapy centres.
Proton therapy is a precise form of radiation treatment that has
been very successful in treating a wide range of localized tumours,
while leaving healthy tissue mostly intact. The centres will provide
access to this specialized and highly effective cancer treatment.
PTGM will develop and manage proton therapy facilities in
partnership with some of the world’s most prominent hospitals, which
are leaders in providing the most advanced forms of cancer care.
To date, letters of intent have been signed to build five centres
in the US and UK, including at two leading academic cancer research
centres and at a site in central London, respectively. The Company
is in the process of launching a funding entity, Proton Therapy
Global, Inc. that aims to raise several hundred million dollars for
investment in individual proton centres.
The founding PTGM team possesses more than 100 years of combined
healthcare experience, having held senior executive positions in
leading healthcare services’ organizations and global corporations.
In addition, management possesses extensive capital markets
experience and expertise in structuring facilities management and
real estate partnerships.
“The formation of PTGM represents the combination of a highly
focused vision, a compelling business strategy and a disciplined
operating plan orchestrated by one of the most experienced
management teams in the global healthcare industry,” stated Vernon R
Loucks, Chairman of PTGM and former Chairman of Baxter
International.
In addition, the PTGM team has provided critical leadership to
the first facility in the world specifically designed to treat
cancer patients with proton therapy, which so far has treated more
than 15,000 patients. The team has also built and managed hospitals
and medical facility projects on four continents.
“Cancer patients are increasingly demanding access to proton
therapy because it’s non-invasive, effective and unlike standard
X-ray radiation causes significantly fewer side effects,” noted
Ronald Anderson, President and CEO, Proton Therapy USA, who
previously was instrumental in developing and launching the Proton
Therapy Treatment and Research Center at Loma Linda University
Medical Center, Loma Linda, California.
“There are currently only 28 proton centres around the world that
even at full capacity fall significantly short in meeting demand for
this transformational treatment.”
“Recent technology innovations have permitted the development of
scalable, modular proton systems that can be deployed to address
larger and broader communities of patients in a highly cost
effective manner,” said Dr Michael Sinclair, Executive Chairman of
CareCapital. “These advances mean our approach is much less capital
intensive and allows PTGM to target building in major metropolitan
areas.”
About proton therapy
Proton therapy is emerging as a safe, efficacious, reliable and
cost effective alternative for the treatment of a wide array of
prevalent cancers. It uses proton radiation to kill cancer cell DNA
rather than X-rays, which are used in traditional radiation therapy.
Both approaches are effective, however X-rays affect the surrounding
normal as well as the cancerous tissue. The major advantage of
proton treatment is that the energy distribution of protons can be
directed accurately to the tumour, so is associated with fewer side
effects.