Health Canada has granted regulatory approval to Monteris Medical's MRI-guided ablation therapy system for brain lesions.
The AutoLITT system, which is now known as NeuroBlate, has been available in the US for providing focal ablation (lethal heat therapy) for tumors.
Monteris Medical president and CEO John Schellhorn said with the approval, the device will now be available for neurosurgeons and their patients in Canada.
"This approval is especially gratifying given that the company was founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba and a significant portion of our people and operations remain in Canada," Schellhorn added.
"We are expanding our sales and marketing efforts to support Canadian neurosurgical centers offering brain tumor patients new therapies and technologies."
Prior to the approval, the product was available in British Columbia, Canada under a 'special access waiver' granted for patients of Dr Brian Toyota, head of BrainCare BC at BC Cancer Agency in Vancouver.
Toyota said, " I am confident it will have a significant impact on the management of, and outcomes for, Canadians suffering from brain tumors."
