Hansen Medical Acquires endoVia Medical; Acquisition to Fortify Intellectual Property in Support of Hansen's Catheter Control System for Interventional Procedures.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Hansen Medical, Inc. announced today that it has purchased assets of endoVia Medical Inc., of Norwood, Mass. The assets purchased are principally intellectual property, including a portfolio of 33 issued and pending patents and patent applications, many of which are related to minimally invasive instruments and surgical robotics. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"This acquisition strengthens the intellectual property at the core of our enterprise and creates a solid foundation of intellectual assets to support our overall business strategy," said Frederic Moll, M.D., founder and chief executive officer of Hansen Medical. "We believe the combined technologies from Hansen and endoVia position us to streamline interventional procedures through the power of instinctive catheter movement, while improving patient care and reducing overall costs to patients and the healthcare system."

Hansen Medical is developing technology that allows the controlled manipulation and precise positioning of percutaneous catheters within chambers of the heart. Called the Hansen Catheter Control System (CCS)(1), the technology is designed to provide precise catheter control and three dimensional (3D) navigation, enabling physicians to access hard-to-reach anatomy, repeat procedure steps and maintain stability during procedures. By bringing together robotic technology with computed movement algorithms, the remote control of catheters is made possible from a physician workstation, and the Hansen CCS allows physicians to place the control workstation in a location where radiation exposure may be decreased. The Hansen CCS is transportable and does not require construction of a specialized room. Additionally, it can be moved among catheter lab suites already in place in a hospital or medical facility.

endoVia Medical was founded in 1996 by scientists from the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and physicians from the Department of Surgery at the Boston University Medical Center. endoVia was an early stage medical device manufacturer developing second-generation, physician-guided robotic systems for minimally invasive surgery including general surgery, urology, gynecology and bariatric surgery.

Hansen Medical, based in Mountain View, California, was founded in 2002 to develop technology for the accurate and efficient control of catheter movement during therapeutic procedures. A key aspect of the Hansen CCS is an electromechanical catheter manipulator, which responds to commands a physician inputs from a workstation. The workstation is compatible with fluoroscopy, ultrasound, 3D surface map and patient electrogram data. Hansen Medical anticipates its proprietary system, if approved for sale, will enhance the speed and safety of catheter-based therapeutic procedures by offering physicians precise control over catheter placement not achievable with existing interventional techniques. The Hansen CCS is being developed initially for electrophysiology and interventional cardiology. The company is researching expanded applications in neurovascular, peripheral vascular and other endoluminal body cavity applications. Additional information can be found at www.hansenmedical.com.

(1) The Hansen Medical system requires regulatory clearance and is not yet commercially available.

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