Diagnostics & Imaging Week articles from July 2006

Diagnostics & Imaging Week archives from July 2006

Siemens to claim No. 2 in sector via $5.3b Siemens Diag unit buy.(Deals roundup)
July 6, 2006... The diagnostics sector has two levels--a handful of Goliaths in one group, a multitude of Davids in the other. Industrial conglomerate Siemens (Munich, Germany) last week could claim expanded Goliath status in the human testing space--No. 2...

HSAs: fairly traditional coverage--or 'extra dollars for the rich'?
July 6, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The House Ways and Means Committee took a closer look last week at the impact of health savings accounts (HSAs) on healthcare in the U.S., that look highlighting the partisan divisions seen on just one of many topics on Capitol...

Cepheid's assay for detecting CMV load released in Europe.(International report)
July 6, 2006... Cepheid (Sunnyvale, California) reported the European release of the Smart CMV (cytomegalovirus) Assay for clinical diagnostic use on the SmartCycler System. The CMV assay was released under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic Medical...

BioWorld releases analysis of Biodefense sector growth.
July 6, 2006... The editors of BioWorld Today, a sister publication to Diagnostics & Imaging Week, have published a new report: the Biodefense Market Report: Vaccines, Therapeutics & Diagnostics for Bioterror Agents, with data and research performed by the by...

Spacelabs to buy Ferraris' DMR units for $25.5m and milestones.(Deals roundup)
July 6, 2006... Spacelabs Healthcare (Isssaquah, Washington), a business of OSI Systems (Hawthorne, California), has entered into a stock purchase agreement with Ferraris Group (Hertford, UK/Oberthulba, Germany) to acquire Del Mar Reynolds and Del Mar Reynolds...

Fisher Biosciences (Epsom, England) reported that through Fisher Scientific, (Hampton, New Hampshire) it has entered into an expanded polymerase chain reaction (PCR) licensing agreement with Applied Biosystems (Foster City, California).(Deals roundup)
July 6, 2006... Fisher Biosciences (Epsom, England) reported that through Fisher Scientific, (Hampton, New Hampshire) it has entered into an expanded polymerase chain reaction (PCR) licensing agreement with Applied Biosystems (Foster City, California), a...

Cytyc gets $150m credit facility; Dune Medical closes on $12.5m.(Financings roundup)
July 6, 2006... Cytyc (Marlborough, Massachusetts) reported entering into a five-year multicurrency credit agreement providing for a $150 million senior unsecured revolving credit facility it said will be used for general corporate purposes. The agreement...

Fluidigm.(Financings roundup)(Brief article)
July 6, 2006... Fluidigm (South San Francisco, California), a developer of life science systems based on integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs), reported closing on Series E funding from AllianceBernstein. The amount of the funding was not disclosed. Gajus...

Scrushy is guilty of bribery to buy seat on medical board.(Court report)
July 6, 2006... Richard Scrushy, former CEO of HealthSouth (Birmingham, Alabama), last week was found guilty--along with former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman--of bribery charges. Scrushy, acquitted last year of heading up massive accounting fraud at...

Cepheid.(Deals roundup)(Brief article)
July 6, 2006... Cepheid (Sunnyvale, California), a molecular diagnostics company, reported entering into an amendment of its patent license agreement with Applera relating to real-time thermal cycler instruments. Cepheid's SmartCycler and GeneXpert real-time...

OraSure in $6m pact with NYC to hike use of OraQuick tests.(Grants/contracts)
July 6, 2006... OraSure Technologies (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), a provider of oral fluid diagnostics, reported that it has entered into an approximate $6 million, multi-year purchase contract with the New York City Department of Mental Health and Hygiene to...

CTS.(Financings roundup)
July 6, 2006... CTS (Elkhart, Indiana) reported that it has entered into a new bank agreement that provides the company with a revolving credit facility of $100 million for a five-year term through June 27, 201 1. The facility includes a $50 million accordion...

Biosense Webster.(Product Briefs)(Brief article)
July 6, 2006... Biosense Webster (Diamond Bar, California) said the FDA cleared for marketing under a 510(k) application a technology designed to help physicians diagnose and plan treatment for patients with cardiac arrhythmias. The Carto RMT V8 System from...

SPO Medical.(Product Briefs)(Brief article)
July 6, 2006... SPO Medical (Woodland Hills, California), a developer of biosensor and microprocessor technologies for use in portable monitoring devices, reported the commercial launch of its FDA-approved and CE-marked PulseOx 7500, a compact, wrist-mounted...

Blood sugar measurement breakthroughs.(International report)(Clinical report)
July 6, 2006... Two Israeli companies, OrSense (Nes Ziona) and Glucon (Petach Tikva), reported encouraging results of clinical trials at the American Diabetes Association's (ADA; Alexandria, Virginia) annual meeting in Washington last month. No other...

'Next-generation' vision assessment.(International report)(Brief article)
July 6, 2006... Nidek (Gamagori, Japan), a manufacturer of optical and eye care diagnostic instrumentation, reported the introduction of its OPD-Scan II ARK-10000, which it characterized as launching "the next generation in... quality of vision assessment."...

PreMD tops trial enrollment target.(International report)
July 6, 2006... Predictive medicine company PreMD (Toronto) said that it has exceeded its enrollment target in the 600-subject PASA (Predictor of Advanced Subclinical Atherosclerosis) study with 650 patients. PASA is examining the relationship between skin...

Abaxis in pact with Schein to distribute rotors, analyzer.(Agreements)
July 6, 2006... Abaxis (Union City, California), a manufacturer of point-of-care blood analysis systems, reported that it has entered into a formal distribution agreement with Henry Schein (Melville, New York), which describes itself as the largest provider of...

CritiSense raises $1.2m.(International report)
July 6, 2006... Israeli device start-up CritiSense has raised $1.2 million to take CritiView (CRV), its first generation product to clinical trials in 2007. CRV is a patient monitoring system providing real-time continuous information via four...

Nigerian order for HIV rapid tests.(International report)
July 6, 2006... Chembio Diagnostics (Medford, New York) said it has received an order from the procurement agent on behalf of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention office in Nigeria for 200,000 HIV 1/2 STAT-PAK rapid tests to be used for...

Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging.(People in Places)
July 6, 2006... Tim Ravenscroft has been named president of Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging (North Billerica, Massachusetts). Ravenscroft most recently served as vice president of Bristol-Myers Squibb's global virology franchise. Bristol-Myers Squibb...

Luminex.(Luminex Corp. appoints Dr. James Jacobson )(Brief article)
July 6, 2006... Luminex (Austin, Texas), a manufacturer of biological testing technologies, reported management changes. Dr. James Jacobson has been named to the new position of vice president and chief scientific officer. Jacobson will continue in his role as...

Synarc.(Synarc promotes Lidia Fonseca to executive vice president)(Brief article)
July 6, 2006... Lidia Fonseca has been promoted to executive vice president, global operations and technology, at Synarc (San Francisco). Since joining the company in 2005, Fonseca has been primarily responsible for systems and technology functions at Synarc...

WWMR.(People in Places)
July 6, 2006... Dr. Sharon Grehan has been appointed to the position of managing consultant, consulting services for WWMR (San Mateo, California). Grehan has been with WWMR for three years, providing a scientific background to market research and strategic...

Sequenom back in Nasdaq compliance.(Briefly Noted)
July 6, 2006... Sequenom (San Diego) said it received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Panel of the Nasdaq Stock Market informing the company it had evidenced compliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq...

Gap in women's health outcomes.(Briefly Noted)
July 6, 2006... American hospitals improved women's survival rates for treatment of heart disease and stroke by an average of 9.54% from 2002 through 2004, according to the third annual HealthGrades (Golden, Colorado) Women's Health Outcomes in U.S. Hospitals...

Moratorium on Medicare cuts for imaging eyed in H.R. 5704.
July 13, 2006... WASHINGTON -- While healthcare information technology has commanded much of the healthcare attention on Capitol Hill, some members of the House are still examining the impacts of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), which President George...

Primedex to acquire Radiologix via $208 million cash/stock deal.(Deals roundup)(Company overview)
July 13, 2006... Primedex Health Systems (Los Angeles) and Radiologix (Dallas) reported an agreement for Primedex to acquire Radiologix in a cash/stock deal of about $208 million, including debt. Primedex said that the acquisition will make it the largest...

Applied Biosystems Group (Foster City, Calif-ornia), a business of Applera (Norwalk, Connecticut), reported completing its acquisition of Agencourt Personal Genomics (APG; Beverly, Massachusetts), a developer of genetic analysis technologies, for about $120 million in cash.(Deals roundup)
July 13, 2006... * Applied Biosystems Group (Foster City, Calif-ornia), a business of Applera (Norwalk, Connecticut), reported completing its acquisition of Agencourt Personal Genomics (APG; Beverly, Massachusetts), a developer of genetic analysis technologies,...

Bayer Diabetes Care (Tarrytown, New York), a member of the Bayer Group (Leverkusen, Germany), has acquired Metrika (Sunnyvale, California), manufacturer of the A1CNow+ device, a diabetes monitoring system.(Deals roundup)
July 13, 2006... * Bayer Diabetes Care (Tarrytown, New York), a member of the Bayer Group (Leverkusen, Germany), has acquired Metrika (Sunnyvale, California), manufacturer of the A1CNow+ device, a diabetes monitoring system. Financial details were not...

Quest Diagnostics (Lyndhurst, New Jersey), the nation's largest provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, said last week that it had completed the previously announced acquisition of Focus Diagnostics (Herndon, Virginia) in a cash transaction valued at some $185 million.(Deals roundup)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... * Quest Diagnostics (Lyndhurst, New Jersey), the nation's largest provider of diagnostic testing, information and services, said last week that it had completed the previously announced acquisition of Focus Diagnostics (Herndon, Virginia) in a...

Reflect Scientific (Mountain View, California), a manufacturer of laboratory equipment and related supplies to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical industries, reported closing of its acquisition of Cryomastor, a California company.(Deals roundup)
July 13, 2006... * Reflect Scientific (Mountain View, California), a manufacturer of laboratory equipment and related supplies to the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical industries, reported closing of its acquisition of Cryomastor, a California company....

Cardinal Health (Dublin, Ohio) said it has reached an agreement to acquire five positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceutical production facilities and manage a sixth site, in order to create a more efficient approach to the manufacture and distribution of PET radio-pharmaceuticals.(Deals roundup)
July 13, 2006... * Cardinal Health (Dublin, Ohio) said it has reached an agreement to acquire five positron emission tomography (PET) radiopharmaceutical production facilities and manage a sixth site, in order to create a more efficient approach to the...

Hologic (Bedford, Massachusetts) reported that the Federal Trade Commission FTC has closed its review of the company's pending acquisition of Suros Surgical Systems (Indianapolis), a developer of devices used for minimally invasive biopsy and tissue excision.(Deals roundup)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... * Hologic (Bedford, Massachusetts) reported that the Federal Trade Commission FTC has closed its review of the company's pending acquisition of Suros Surgical Systems (Indianapolis), a developer of devices used for minimally invasive biopsy and...

Given Imaging seen through rearview mirror of ex-CEO.(International report)
July 13, 2006... Moving on: Gavriel Meron, founder, longtime CEO, president, member of the board of directors and uniting impetus behind Given Imaging (Yokneam, Israel), who resigned in mid-June from the company he started in 1998. That turn of events...

Independent Forensics offering genetic test for HIV resistance.
July 13, 2006... Independent Forensics (Hillside, Illinois), which says it is the "leading independent forensics laboratory" in the U.S., has developed what it says is the world's first test to determine genetic resistance to HIV. The test is designed to...

Panel: U.S. universal coverage will come with less med-tech.
July 13, 2006... WASHINGTON -- If universal healthcare coverage is adopted by the U.S., it probably will come with a price: abandonment of the indiscriminate use of world-class medical technology. That is the trade-off described during a forum last week on...

Avitar in $750k notes sale; BioMag in $350,000 placement.(Financings roundup)
July 13, 2006... Avitar (Canton, Massachusetts) reported completing a financing with investors for the sale of $750,000 of secured convertible notes and 1.5 million seven-year warrants. It said that the proceeds will be used for marketing of the company's...

BioMag (Orangevale, California) reported that it has completed a private placement of $350,000 with International Investment Capital Corporation (IICC) at $1 a share.(Financings roundup)
July 13, 2006... BioMag (Orangevale, California) reported that it has completed a private placement of $350,000 with International Investment Capital Corporation (IICC) at $1 a share BioMag said that through its wholly owned subsidiary, Biospectrum...

Chembio Diagnostics (Medford, New York) reported that it raised $1.3 million in secured debt financing through a private placement to four institutional investors.(Financings roundup)
July 13, 2006... Chembio Diagnostics (Medford, New York) reported that it raised $1.3 million in secured debt financing through a private placement to four institutional investors. Each purchaser received a secured debenture due in 90 days with interest at...

Biosite.(Financings roundup)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Biosite (San Diego), a company commercializing proteomics discoveries for the advancement of medical diagnosis, reported that, in accordance with Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4350, 37 non-officer employees were granted inducement stock options...

TGen, GE Healthcare allies in advanced genomic imaging.(Agreements roundup)
July 13, 2006... The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen; Phoenix) and GE Healthcare (Waukesha, Wisconsin) have entered into an alliance to apply advanced cellular genomics technologies and strategies to improve and accelerate the discovery and...

Hologic in consent agreement with FTC over Mammotest IP.(Court report)(Federal Trade Commission)(intellectual property)
July 13, 2006... Hologic (Bedford, Massachusetts), a provider of diagnostic and digital imaging systems for women's health, reported that it has signed a consent agreement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) resolving a dispute with the commission regarding...

Applera (Norwalk, Connecticut) and Beckman Coulter (Fullerton, California), a maker of instrument systems, tests and supplies that simplify and automate laboratory processes, jointly reported that they have entered into a definitive agreement.(Court report)
July 13, 2006... * Applera (Norwalk, Connecticut) and Beckman Coulter (Fullerton, California), a maker of instrument systems, tests and supplies that simplify and automate laboratory processes, jointly reported that they have entered into a definitive agreement...

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has approved the issuance of a final consent order concerning Fresenius AG (Bad Homburg, Germany), the world's largest provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure, and its subsidiary, Renal Care Group.(Court report)
July 13, 2006... * The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has approved the issuance of a final consent order concerning Fresenius AG (Bad Homburg, Germany), the world's largest provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic...

HHS reports $15m collaboration with the Atlantic Philanthropies.(Grants/contracts)(United States. Health and Human Services)
July 13, 2006... Health and Human Services (HHS; Washington) Secretary Mike Leavitt reported a $15 million collaboration with the Atlantic Philanthropies (New York) to improve the health and quality of life for older Americans at the community level. "This...

Epix submits appeal to FDA for Vasovist.(Briefly Noted)(food and drug administration)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Epix Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, Massachusetts), a developer of pharmaceuticals for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) which recently announced a definitive agreement to merge with Predix Pharmaceuticals (Lexington, Massachusetts), reported that...

Cigna to cover Cambridge Heart's MTWA test.(Briefly Noted)
July 13, 2006... Cambridge Heart (Bedford, Massachusetts) said that Cigna HealthCare, a provider of healthcare benefits covering more than 12 million Americans, has revised its coverage position on Microvolt T Wave Alternans (MTWA) testing, agreeing to make it...

Philips Medical Systems (Andover, Massachusetts), a division of Royal Philips Electronics, and the medical and engineering schools of Dartmouth College (Hanover, New Hampshire), reported they have entered into a multiyear research agreement to develop innovative imaging capabilities that aim to better enable earlier detection and treatment of heart disease, cancer and neurological diseases..(Agreements roundup)(Disease/Disorder overview)
July 13, 2006... Philips Medical Systems (Andover, Massachusetts), a division of Royal Philips Electronics, and the medical and engineering schools of Dartmouth College (Hanover, New Hampshire), reported they have entered into a multiyear research agreement to...

BD Diagnostics (Baltimore), a unit of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Co.; Franklin Lakes, New Jersey), reported the signing of an agreement with BioReference Laboratories (BRLI; Elmwood Park, New Jersey) for BD to supply BRLI with instrumentation and reagents for testing and diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections..(Agreements roundup)
July 13, 2006... BD Diagnostics (Baltimore), a unit of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Co.; Franklin Lakes, New Jersey), reported the signing of an agreement with BioReference Laboratories (BRLI; Elmwood Park, New Jersey) for BD to supply BRLI with instrumentation...

Gilde reports 1st closing of new fund.(International report)
July 13, 2006... Gilde Healthcare Partners (Utrecht, the Netherlands), a life sciences venture capital group, has reported the first closing of Gilde Healthcare II (GHC II), its second life science venture fund. Current commitments to GHC II amount to EUR...

Primagen says DFS tech is validated.(International report)
July 13, 2006... Primagen Holding (Amsterdam, the Netherlands), an emerging company in molecular diagnostics for infectious diseases and cancer, said that its special dry filter paper (DFS) technology has been internally validated for use with the Roche Cobas...

Cambridge Heart.(People in Places)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Cambridge Heart (Bedford, Massachusetts) has hired Mark Florence as vice president, sales and marketing. Most recently Florence was vice president of sales at CardioDynamics. Robert LaRoche, former vice president, sales and marketing, has left...

Clinical Data.(People in Places)
July 13, 2006... Clinical Data (Newton, Massachusetts) has appointed Robert Bondaryk, PhD, most recently executive vice president, general manager and business development, Proteome Systems, and vice president, life science and drug discovery, Fischer...

flexSCAN.(People in Places)
July 13, 2006... Kenneth Westbrook has been named president and appointed to the board of directors of flexSCAN (Mission Viejo, California). Westbrook brings more than 25 years of experience to the company, including serving as senior vice president of...

Orchid Cellmark.(People in Places)
July 13, 2006... Raymond Land has resigned as senior vice president and CFO of Orchid Cellmark (Princeton, New Jersey) to pursue other interests. Land joined the company, a global provider of identity DNA testing services, in June 2005.

Solexa.(People in Places)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Richard Lussier has been appointed to the newly created position of vice president, sales and field operations for Solexa (Hayward, California). Lussier brings to Solexa over 20 years of industry experience, including 12 years with Applied...

WWMR.(People in Places)
July 13, 2006... Dr. Sharon Grehan has been appointed to the position of managing consultant, consulting services for WWMR (San Mateo, California). Grehan has been with WWMR for three years, providing a scientific background to market research and strategic...

Cylex signs Japanese distributor.(International report)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... Cylex (Columbia, Maryland), a life sciences company focused on immune function testing, reported a supply agreement with Medical & Biological Laboratories Co. Ltd. (MBL) to distribute Cylex's ImmuKnow assay in the Japanese market. ...

CAS Medical Systems.(Product Briefs)
July 13, 2006... CAS Medical Systems (Bransford, Connecticut), which is focused on noninvasive vital signs monitoring, reported that it has been awarded two U.S. patents for technology used in its Fore-Sight Cerebral Oximeter, scheduled for commercial release...

CDEX.(Product Briefs)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... CDEX (Rockville, Maryland), developing products using chemical detection and validation technologies, reported that it has filed an apparatus patent application for its portable, hand-held methamphetamine and illicit drug detector in...

FujiFilm Medical Systems USA.(Product Briefs)
July 13, 2006... FujiFilm Medical Systems USA (Stamford, Connecticut) reported FDA approval of its digital mammography system, Fuji Computed Radiography for Mammography (FCRm), which it called the world's most widely used digital mammography technology. While...

Prometheus Laboratories.(Product Briefs)
July 13, 2006... Prometheus Laboratories (San Diego), focused on the treatment, diagnosis and detection of gastrointestinal, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, reported that it has launched Prometheus IBD Serology 7, the company's most advanced diagnostic...

SRU Biosystems.(Product Briefs)(SRU Biosystems)(Brief article)
July 13, 2006... SRU Biosystems (Woburn, Massachusetts), which is developing technologies for rapidly analyzing the interactions of large genomic, protein, peptide, antibody or small molecule compound libraries against a range of biochemical targets, reported...

Varian Medical Systems.(Product Briefs)
July 13, 2006... Varian Medical Systems (Palo Alto, California), a supplier of digital image detectors for filmless X-rays, reported the introduction of the PaxScan 1313. Optimized for use in dental and orthopedic imaging, the PaxScan 1313 offers a 13 x 13 cm...

Genoptix is second national lab to offer CellSearch test.
July 20, 2006... Genoptix (Carlsbad, California), a provider of personalized medicine oncology services, has become only the second major national laboratory to offer the CellSearch System, which it said is the only FDA-cleared test designed to identify...

Hologic completes R2 buy; Beckman gets PCR license.(Deals roundup)
July 20, 2006... Hologic (Bedford, Massachusetts), a provider of imaging and digital imaging systems for women's health, reported completing its acquisition of R2 Technology (Sunnyvale, California), a developer of computer-aided detection (CAD) systems. ...

Millipore (Billerica, Massachusetts) reported completing its acquisition of Serologicals (Norcross, Georgia), following approval by Serologicals' shareholders last week.(Deals roundup)
July 20, 2006... Millipore (Billerica, Massachusetts) reported completing its acquisition of Serologicals (Norcross, Georgia), following approval by Serologicals' shareholders last week. First disclosed in April, the deal calls for Millipore to acquire...

Caliper Life Sciences (Hopkinton, Massachusetts), a provider of products and services for drug discovery research, and Xenogen (Alameda, California), a developer of biophotonic imaging, reported that the registration statement-joint proxy statement for their pending merger has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission.(Deals roundup)
July 20, 2006... Caliper Life Sciences (Hopkinton, Massachusetts), a provider of products and services for drug discovery research, and Xenogen (Alameda, California), a developer of biophotonic imaging, reported that the registration statement-joint proxy...

Epix Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, Massachusetts), a developer of pharmaceuticals for MRI which recently unveiled an agreement to merge with Predix Pharmaceuticals Holdings (Lexington, Massachusetts) reported that Schering (Berlin), which is merging with Bayer (Leverkusen, Germany), is not going to exercise its option for Epix's fibrin-binding imaging agent EP-2104R.(Deals roundup)
July 20, 2006... Epix Pharmaceuticals (Cambridge, Massachusetts), a developer of pharmaceuticals for MRI which recently unveiled an agreement to merge with Predix Pharmaceuticals Holdings (Lexington, Massachusetts) reported that Schering (Berlin), which is...

Dune Medical eyes U.S. with breast cancer surgical probe.(International report)
July 20, 2006... Start-up Dune Medical Devices (Caesarea, Israel), which late last month closed a second financing round in which it raised $12.5 million, has its eyes on the U.S. market with its hand-held surgical probe that detects cancerous tissue during...

SEC's Treadway group issues new small-cap SOX guidance.
July 20, 2006... WASHINGTON -- The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) was roundly applauded in the financial press as promising more transparency and enabling stock traders to buy and sell with more confidence. However, smaller firms soon found--and have since...

$30m stock sale for deCode; CS-Keys gets seed investment.(Financings roundup)
July 20, 2006... deCode genetics (Reykjavik, Iceland) reported that it has obtained commitments from several new and existing institutional investors to purchase $30 million of its common stock. deCode will sell 6 million shares at $5 a share, with net...

Barrington Medical Imaging.(Financings roundup)
July 20, 2006... Barrington Medical Imaging (Cary, Illinois) has received a $3.25 million revolving line of credit from Bridge Finance (Chicago). Barrington purchases and refurbishes used medical equipment and sells the equipment to hospitals and clinics. ...

Elbit Medical Imaging (EMI; Tel Aviv, Israel) reported that it has issued to an Israeli investor about NIS 47.6 million of unsecured non-convertible Series A debentures in consideration for NIS 50 million.(Financings roundup)
July 20, 2006... Elbit Medical Imaging (EMI; Tel Aviv, Israel) reported that it has issued to an Israeli investor about NIS 47.6 million of unsecured non-convertible Series A debentures in consideration for NIS 50 million. These debentures, EMI said, are in...

Congressional interest in tort reform damped by split views.
July 20, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Tort reform may be a pressing imperative for many in the private sector, but a hearing in the House of Representatives last week suggests that while many interesting ideas are making the rounds, Congress may not be able to push...

Guardian Technologies in pact with USC imaging laboratory.(Agreements roundup)(University of Southern California (Los Angeles)'s Medical Imaging and Informatics Laboratory at the Keck School of Medicine)
July 20, 2006... Guardian Technologies International (Herndon, Virginia), a provider of security and healthcare solutions based on Intelligent Imaging Informatics (3i), reported entering an agreement with Dr. H.K. (Bernie) Huang of the Medical Imaging and...

Aspyra (Calabasas, California), a global provider of clinical and diagnostic information solutions, entered into a distributor agreement with Merry X-Ray (MXR)/SourceOne Healthcare Technologies (Mentor, Ohio) for MXR to distribute Aspyra's AccessNET PACS and AccessMED Specialty PACS solutions nationwide.(Agreements roundup)
July 20, 2006... Aspyra (Calabasas, California), a global provider of clinical and diagnostic information solutions, entered into a distributor agreement with Merry X-Ray (MXR)/SourceOne Healthcare Technologies (Mentor, Ohio) for MXR to distribute Aspyra's...

BioFortis (Baltimore) reported that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland) has selected its software, Labmatrix, for use within its Center for Cancer Research (CCR).(Agreements roundup)
July 20, 2006... BioFortis (Baltimore) reported that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland) has selected its software, Labmatrix, for use within its Center for Cancer Research (CCR). The CCR, NCI's...

Schering AG (Berlin) will collaborate with Avid Radiopharmaceuticals (Philadelphia) to develop diagnostic imaging agents for Alzheimer's disease.(Agreements roundup)
July 20, 2006... Schering AG (Berlin) will collaborate with Avid Radiopharmaceuticals (Philadelphia) to develop diagnostic imaging agents for Alzheimer's disease. The compounds made by Avid directly bind to the amyloid plaques in the brain thought to cause...

Xpert EV assay released by Cepheid.(International report)
July 20, 2006... Cepheid (Sunnyvale, California) last month reported the European release of the Xpert EV (enterovirus) Assay for clinical diagnostic use on the company's GeneXpert System. The assay, released under the European Directive on In Vitro Diagnostic...

Cosmetic counters to get skin-imaging devices.(International report)
July 20, 2006... Procter & Gamble (P&G; Cincinnati) said it plans to place SIAscope skin-imaging devices from Astron Clinica Ltd. (Cambridge, UK) at Olay counters in several countries this year, enabling consumers to increase their understanding of what makes...

$1.3m for TK Signal.(International report)
July 20, 2006... In another financing, radiopharmaceutical company TK Signal raised $1.3 million from London institutional investors. TK Signal is a portfolio company of Hadasit Bio Holdings (Jerusalem). Hadasit Bio owns 28.43% of TK Signal. The...

Various countries testing VScan test kits.(International report)
July 20, 2006... Medical Services International (MSI; Edmonton, Alberta) said earlier this month that it would begin shipping its VScan HIV test kits into several European countries that are now doing their own testing rather than wait for MSI to get CE-mark...