Philips Reinforces Leadership in Image-Guided Therapy Solutions with Global Launch of Next Generation Azurion Platform

AMSTERDAM–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Royal
Philips (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHIA), a leader in health technology, today
announced the global launch of Azurion, its next generation image-guided
therapy platform, which forms the new core of its integrated solutions
portfolio for the fast growing image-guided therapy market. As a leader
in this market, Philips offers integrated solutions comprising
interventional imaging technologies and planning and navigation software
combined with interventional devices – including catheters for diagnosis
and therapy – and a broad range of services, all aimed at helping
clinicians to provide superior care at predictable costs.

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Azurion is Philips’ next generation image-guided therapy platform and the new core of its integrated solutions portfolio. Azurion supports a full range of configurations across a broad spectrum of image-guided therapy procedures. These include configurations for high volume routine procedures and flexible configurations for advanced procedures. Harnessing vital procedural information from various sources, such as imaging systems, interventional devices, navigation tools and patient health records, Azurion provides interventional staff members with the control and information they need to perform procedures efficiently. (Photo: Business Wire)

Following the acquisition of Volcano
in 2015, via which Philips has become a leader in advanced catheters for
diagnosis and therapy, the company is now further cementing its overall
leadership in the EUR 5 billion image-guided therapy market with one of
its largest global product launches in recent years. Philips’ Azurion
image-guided therapy platform for interventional labs is the result of a
multi-year development program conducted in close collaboration with
leading clinicians in the field. This next generation platform features
a state-of-the-art ergonomic design with an easy-to-use intuitive user
interface, enabling clinicians to swiftly and confidently perform a wide
range of routine and complex procedures in the interventional lab.

With the rapid growth of image-guided therapy procedures, hospitals and
health systems are increasingly faced with the need to control costs,
while improving their standards of care. Azurion has been designed to
address these challenges and is equipped with new workflow options and
performance dashboards, as well as an upcoming range of productivity
improvement services.

The Azurion platform also features over 1,000 new components, including
an enhanced flat-panel detector, and Philips’ newly developed ConnectOS
operating system for the seamless integration of real-time
information from all relevant technologies in the interventional lab.
All of these components work together to deliver high image quality at
ultra-low X-ray dose and real-time image processing on multiple work
spots within the interventional lab. Parallel working enables the team
of clinicians to complete different tasks simultaneously in the
interventional lab, saving valuable time without compromising quality of
care. Azurion features procedure cards that allow clinicians to
pre-program routine tasks and user preferences, helping to minimize
preparation errors and further reducing preparation and procedure time.

Philips has pioneered a steady stream of innovations in planning and
navigation software for areas such as vascular surgery (e.g. VesselNavigator),
interventional cardiology (e.g. EchoNavigator),
interventional oncology (e.g. EmboGuide),
and interventional neuroradiology (e.g. AneurysmFlow).
All these advanced interventional tools integrate seamlessly into the
Azurion platform to support the clinical workflow.

Driven by their benefits for patients and care providers,
minimally-invasive therapies, such as the catheter-based treatment of
certain tumors, aneurysms, obstructed blood vessels, heart rhythm
disorders and defective heart valves, continue to grow fast. In addition
to reduced patient trauma and shorter recovery times, such procedures
also have the benefit of allowing the treatment of patients who would
not be able to withstand the trauma of open surgery. However, during
such procedures, clinicians cannot directly see and feel the organs they
are working on. Effective imaging, measurement and navigation
technologies are therefore key to guiding minimally-invasive procedures.
At the heart of the interventional lab, these technologies allow
identification and visualization of target organs and tissues, the
operation of interventional devices, and the placement of implants,
leading to improved chances of therapy success.

“For over 30 years, we’ve pioneered minimally-invasive treatments that
help our patients get back to their daily lives,” said Barry T. Katzen,
MD, founder and Chief Medical Executive of the Miami Cardiac & Vascular
Institute, Baptist Health South Florida (U.S.). “The imaging environment
is critical to perform such procedures efficiently and effectively. As
an interventionalist, we want to be in the cockpit, similar to a pilot
in an airplane, where we have control of everything we need and have all
the relevant functions at our finger tips. Philips’ next generation
image-guided therapy platform just takes it to a whole other level and
allows interventionalists to accomplish the procedures quicker and more
efficiently, which benefits the patient. »

“As a leader in image-guided therapy, we have been driving continuous
innovation to address rising patient volumes and increased procedure
complexity,” said Bert van Meurs, Business Leader Image Guided Therapy
at Philips. “Hundreds of Philips developers, engineers and designers and
dozens of our clinical partners across the world have collaborated to
completely redesign the heart of our portfolio. With the launch of our
new Azurion platform, which was designed to optimize system integration
and lab performance, we can deliver new turnkey solutions that support
our customers in maintaining high standards of quality and patient care
at predictable costs.”

“We are on an exciting journey to strengthen the Tampere Heart
Hospital’s position as a Northern European center of excellence for
cardiac care,” said Aki Haukilahti, Executive Vice President and CFO of
Heart Hospital, Tampere University Hospital (Finland). “As part of our
long-term strategic partnership with Philips, we have collaborated on a
turnkey solution based on the new Azurion product family. With this
solution, Philips provides us with advanced technologies and an
excellent user experience, combined with services for guaranteed uptime,
seamless integration into our hospital workflows, staff training and
education, and enhancement of our productivity. This enables our staff
to fully focus on what they do best – providing superior care to our
patients.”

Click on this link
or type www.philips.com/azurion
in your internet browser to visit the Philips Azurion website.

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHIA) is a leading health technology
company focused on improving people’s health and enabling better
outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention,
to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced
technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated
solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in
diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health
informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips’
health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and
employs approximately 71,000 employees with sales and services in more
than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at www.philips.com/newscenter.

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