(06/01/2004) A Third US Proton Therapy Center chooses IBA SYSTEM

January 6, 2004 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, January 6, 2004 - IBA (Ion Beam Applications S.A.: Reuters IOBAt.BR and Bloomberg IBAB.BB) announced today the order of a state-of-the-art proton therapy system to the Florida Proton Therapy Institute, in Jacksonville, Florida, associated with the University of Florida. The proton therapy center will be equipped with three treatment rooms and a research room, all connected to a 230 MeV cyclotron. Two rooms will provide treatment from any direction to a patient using an isocentric gantry, while the third will be equipped with a horizontal fixed beam line. The value of the contract to IBA is in the order of $50 million. Based on IBA's experience, the first treatment room will be operational within 18 months after the building completion. The Florida Proton Therapy Institute should be ready to treat the first patient by the fall of 2006. After the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute in Indiana, the University of Florida will be the third US health science center treating oncology patients to choose IBA's proton therapy equipment after a thorough technical analysis. 'We are excited to offer to our patients a solution that will vastly improve their chances for cure. Proton therapy stands to not only increase the cure rates but also to significantly decrease side effects, which is of critical importance for our young patients', says Nancy Mendenhall, Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Florida College of Medicine. With this new facility proton therapy will become routinely available for a significant number of patients as we aim to treat over 2000 patients a year.' With this contract, 7 institutions rely on IBA for the development of their proton therapy center and it further establishes IBA as the undisputed leader in the US and world markets. IBA is the only company to have received regulatory clearance for commercialization of its equipment in the United States, Europe and China. 'We are very pleased to see this project entering its construction phase, says C. Craig Tisher, Dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Florida. Project financing was developed in association with IBA and includes JP Morgan, Fortis Bank and the Belgian export credit agency, Ducroire. The proton center will greatly enhance the ability of our physicians to provide cutting edge cancer treatment to the patients we serve. With only a few proton centers available in the US, the University of Florida will reinforce its position of leading institutions for cancer treatment using this technology.' The University of Florida is a major public, comprehensive, land grant research university in the United States. The College of Medicine is the largest of six colleges at the University of Florida Health Science Center. One of the College's missions is to provide compassionate, skilled and innovative healthcare of the highest quality. The college's research and teaching programs greatly enhance the quality of the patient care experience. The Department of Radiation Oncology provides treatment services for all types of cancer including head and neck, central nervous system, gastrointestinal, sarcomas and paediatric tumors, thus fulfilling one of its major missions. About IBA With operations at more than 50 sites, spanning 12 countries and 3 continents, IBA provides extensive expertise and devotes a significant part of its resources to developing innovative solutions aiming to offer health and well-being. IBA is the world leader in the field of particle accelerators for medical and industrial use, in proton therapy, in the production and distribution of radiopharmaceuticals and also in sterilization and ionization. For many years IBA has devoted considerable efforts to the fight against cancer with its high precision proton therapy systems. Large institutions and centers specializing in treating cancer in the United States and in Asia have already chosen the IBA proton therapy system. IBA also occupies a key position in the food safety and mail decontamination markets in the United States. IBA is quoted on the EURONEXT pan-European stock exchange and is integrated into the NextEconomy market segment. Website: www.iba-worldwide.com. For further information please contact: IBA S.A. - Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium . Paul-Emmanuel Goethals Business Development & Investor Relations Manager Telephone: +32 10 47 58 16 E-Mail: goethals@iba.be . Yolaine d'Udekem Communication Manager Telephone: +32 10 47 59 60 E-Mail: ydu@iba.be IBA SA - Registered Office : Chemin du Cyclotron, 3 - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium Tel.: +32 10 47 58 11 Fax: +32 10 47 58 10 E-Mail : info-worldwide@iba.be Website: http://www.iba-worldwide.com RC Nivelles 54589 VAT: BE428.750.985 (C) Companynews