Esaote, Hitachi forge ultrasound alliance

Ultrasound developer Esaote, based in Genoa, Italy, has signed a letter of intent for a three-year technical and commercial cooperation agreement with Hitachi Medical. Pending regulatory approvals, the two firms will collaborate on new ultrasound products and exchange technical information and components. Each company will continue to independently develop and market its existing product lines.

Both firms highlighted new ultrasound units at December’s RSNA conference. Esaote introduced Technos, a premium ultrasound device designed for abdominal, ob/gyn, vascular, small parts, breast, and urology imaging, while Tarrytown, NY-based Hitachi unveiled Hitachi 6000, a work-in-progress unit that includes tissue harmonic imaging, directional CFA, and artifact suppression algorithms (SCAN 12/15/99 and 1/12/00).

In other Esaote news, the company released preliminary financial results for fiscal year 1999 (end-December), posting consolidated sales of $196.8 million, up 11% from 1998’s $176.2 million. Sales in dedicated MRI climbed more than 60%, from $13.5 million in 1998 to $21.5 million in 1999, while the company’s ultrasound sales were $112.7 million, up from $106.6 million the year before.