GE Healthcare Acquires U-Systems, Inc.; Expands GE Presence in Breast Cancer Detection

WAUWATOSA, Wis. & SUNNYVALE, Calif. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - GE Healthcare, the healthcare division of General Electric (NYSE: GE), announced today the acquisition of U-Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of ultrasound products specifically designed for breast applications. With operations in Sunnyvale, CA and Phoenix, AZ, U-Systems, Inc. has developed the somo•v Automated Breast Ultrasound (ABUS), the first and only ultrasound system on the market approved in the U.S. for breast cancer screening as an adjunct to mammography for asymptomatic women with greater than 50 percent dense breast tissue and no prior breast interventions. Financial terms were not disclosed.

"The combination of U-Systems, Inc. and GE Healthcare uniquely positions GE to offer U.S. healthcare providers and their patients the most comprehensive portfolio of breast care innovations on the market - from screening to diagnosis to monitoring," said Tom Gentile, president and CEO of GE Healthcare Systems. "In addition to digital mammography and breast MR, GE can now offer breast screening ultrasound technology to our customers to help in early detection - which provides for more treatment options."

According to a published study in the New England Journal of Medicine, women with dense tissue in 75% or more of the breast have a risk of breast cancer four to six times as great as the risk among women with little or no dense tissue.¹ Since dense breast tissue decreases mammography's effectiveness in detection, the somo•v ABUS has proven to be a tremendous advancement in the visualization of cancer-hiding tissue in dense breasts.