Sep. 24, 2009 (PR Newswire) --
BEDFORD, Mass., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Hologic, Inc. (Hologic or the Company) (Nasdaq: HOLX), a leading developer, manufacturer and supplier of premium diagnostics, medical imaging systems and surgical products dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of women, today announced the United Kingdom's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), in its updated guidance for hysteroscopic sterilization, supports the use of Hologic's Adiana((R)) permanent contraception system. NICE, a part of the National Health Service (NHS), is an independent organization responsible for providing national guidance on treatments and care for those using the NHS in the United Kingdom. The Adiana system received CE marking approval in January 2009 and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in July 2009. The Adiana system is designed to provide women a minimally-invasive, non-incision alternative to traditional, surgical means of permanent contraception.
The updated guidance(1) concludes that the data on the safety and efficacy of hysteroscopic sterilization by tubal cannulation and placement of intrafallopian implants supports the use of the Adiana procedure in the U.K.
"This is an important milestone for Hologic and our GYN surgical products business in the U.K.," said Tony Kingsley, senior vice president, GYN surgical products at Hologic. "With more than 50 NHS surgeons now trained to perform the Adiana procedure, the updated NICE guidance should further support our efforts to establish Hologic's minimally-invasive, safe and effective Adiana system in the U.K."
About the Adiana Permanent Contraception System
The Adiana permanent contraception system is minimally-invasive, requires no incisions and can be performed in the comfort of the doctor's office using local anesthesia. Patients are normally able to return to work or resume their daily activities within one day. In contrast, traditional methods of permanent contraception, such as tubal ligation, require more invasive surgical procedures, usually are conducted in a hospital under general anesthesia and typically require four to five days of recovery. As a result, these more invasive surgical procedures can pose serious risk of complications, including anesthesia-related problems and damage to organs or blood vessels.
During the Adiana procedure, a slender, flexible instrument is passed through the body's natural openings to deliver a low level of radiofrequency (RF) energy to a small section of each fallopian tube. A tiny, soft insert, about the size of a grain of rice, is then placed in each fallopian tube in the location where the energy was applied.
