Cardiovascular Device Update articles from April 2002

Cardiovascular Device Update archives from April 2002

Improving economy and rising spending drive health care market.
April 1, 2002... IRVINE, California -- With the U.S. economy moving out of recession based on a variety of measures, many economists are providing increasingly optimistic forecasts for growth over the next one to two years. That trend, which is expected to...

As the coated-stent world turns, trials shine a guiding light.
April 1, 2002... News out of the coated-stent sector over the past few weeks has been the stuff of daytime soap operas, with so many twists that if you miss an episode you might be completely lost. Will Johnson & Johnson be the first to market? Can Guidant and...

Defibrillators lauded in expanded settings. (ACC notebook).
April 1, 2002... ATLANTA, Georgia -- Defibrillator therapy received several ringing endorsements as a number of clinical trials whose results were presented during last month's American College of Cardiology (ACC; Bethesda, Maryland) annual scientific sessions...

Diagnostic tests can serve as DVT screen. (Report from Europe).(deep vein thrombosis)
April 1, 2002... Although the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is increased in any situation involving prolonged immobility of the limbs, the recent occurrence of several well-publicized cases of DVT in long-haul air line passengers who have been sitting in...

Arrow International. (Acquisitions).(to sell implantable drug infusion pump business)
April 1, 2002... * Arrow International (Reading, Pennsylvania) said it would sell its implantable drug infusion pump business, with the closing expected this month, saying the division's marketing and research investments are too costly. The company said that...

Jostra AG (Hirrligen, Germany), a supplier of products for open-heart surgery, said it has acquired the main fields of business of competitor LifeStream International (The Woodlands, Texas). (Acquisitions).
April 1, 2002... * Jostra AG (Hirrligen, Germany), a supplier of products for open-heart surgery, said it has acquired the main fields of business of competitor LifeStream International (The Woodlands, Texas). The operations of LifeStream business sectors will...

Novametrix Medical Systems (Wallingford, Connecticut) said that a special meeting of company stockholders will be held April 9 to vote on its proposed acquisition by Respironics Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Respironics (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) in a stock-for-stock deal valued at about $90 million. (Acquisitions).
April 1, 2002... * Novametrix Medical Systems (Wallingford, Connecticut) said that a special meeting of company stockholders will be held April 9 to vote on its proposed acquisition by Respironics Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Respironics (Pittsburgh,...

German drugs group Schering AG (Berlin) offered to buy Collateral Therapeutics (San Diego, California) in a stock-for-stock deal valuing the U.S. biotech firm at $159 million. (Acquisitions).
April 1, 2002... * German drugs group Schering AG (Berlin) offered to buy Collateral Therapeutics (San Diego, California) in a stock-for-stock deal valuing the U.S. biotech firm at $159 million. Schering AG said it planned to swap $140 million in stock for the...

Synovis Interventional Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bio-Vascular (St. Paul, Minnesota), has completed its acquisition of Emtech (Lino Lakes, Minnesota), a privately held company with manufacturing capabilities in injection molding, computer numerical control machining and tool building. (Acquisitions).
April 1, 2002... * Synovis Interventional Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bio-Vascular (St. Paul, Minnesota), has completed its acquisition of Emtech (Lino Lakes, Minnesota), a privately held company with manufacturing capabilities in injection molding,...

TriVirix International (Chapel Hill, North Carolina), a medical device contract manufacturer said it is purchasing a Milaca, Minnesota-based manufacturing facility from Medtronic (Minneapolis, Minnesota). (Acquisitions).
April 1, 2002... * TriVirix International (Chapel Hill, North Carolina), a medical device contract manufacturer said it is purchasing a Milaca, Minnesota-based manufacturing facility from Medtronic (Minneapolis, Minnesota). TriVirix said it will retain all 65...

Texas Heart supports Thoratec's HeartMate. (Business Developments).(Texas Heart Institute)
April 1, 2002... More and more cardiovascular assist devices are supporting heart failure patients, and those patients are being highlighted at an increasing number of media events to support the expanded use of this technology. Last month, Dave Harvison,...

Abbott buying Biocompatibles' stent unit. (Business Developments).(Abbott Laboratories; Biocompatibles Ltd.)
April 1, 2002... Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, Illinois) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Biocompatibles International's (Farnham, UK) cardiovascular stent business in a cash deal valued at about $235 million. The transaction is expected...

CardioNet gets $5m from Guidant. (Business Developments).
April 1, 2002... Guidant (Indianapolis, Indiana) has made a $5 million investment in CardioNet (San Diego, California), pushing itself forward into the broader monitoring arena. CardioNet's technology provides ambulatory monitoring of arrhythmias suffered by...

CHF Solutions relocating to Minnesota. (Business Developments).
April 1, 2002... Privately held CHF Solutions, which is developing a device to treat congestive heart failure, is moving its headquarters from New York to Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. The company and 12 relocating employees are moving to a...

Photoangioplasty can help. (Business Developments).(atherosclerosis treatment)
April 1, 2002... Pharmacyclics (Sunnyvale, California) said researchers presented preclinical and Phase I data during the American College of Cardiology annual meeting indicating the potential utility of photoangioplasty with Antrin (motexafin lutetium)...

BioHeart (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and Cambrex (East Rutherford, New Jersey) completed a supply agreement in which Cambrex will contract manufacture BioHeart's autologous MyoCell therapy. (Agreements).
April 1, 2002... * BioHeart (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and Cambrex (East Rutherford, New Jersey) completed a supply agreement in which Cambrex will contract manufacture BioHeart's autologous MyoCell therapy. BioHeart has approval to initiate U.S. clinical...

Broadlane (San Francisco, California), a provider of supply chain management services to the health care industry, said it has signed an agreement with Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts), a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of less-invasive medical devices, to integrate Boston Scientific into Broadlane's e-commerce exchange. (Agreements).
April 1, 2002... * Broadlane (San Francisco, California), a provider of supply chain management services to the health care industry, said it has signed an agreement with Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts), a worldwide developer, manufacturer and...

CardioComm Solutions (Victoria, British Columbia) and Gateway Electronic Medical Management Systems (GEMMS; Indianapolis, Indiana) have completed development of an interface between GEMMS' Electronic Clinical Information System (ECIS) and CardioComm's Global ECG Management System (GEMS). (Agreements).
April 1, 2002... * CardioComm Solutions (Victoria, British Columbia) and Gateway Electronic Medical Management Systems (GEMMS; Indianapolis, Indiana) have completed development of an interface between GEMMS' Electronic Clinical Information System (ECIS) and...

Light Sciences (Issaquah, Washington), a company developing a new integrated approach to photodynamic therapy for cancer, eye and cardiovascular disease based on Light Infusion Technology, has signed a development and services agreement with Agilent Technologies. (Agreements).
April 1, 2002... * Light Sciences (Issaquah, Washington), a company developing a new integrated approach to photodynamic therapy for cancer, eye and cardiovascular disease based on Light Infusion Technology, has signed a development and services agreement with...

Premier (Chicago, Illinois) awarded Scios (Sunnyvale, California) a three-year contract for its recently FDA-approved drug, Natrecor, the first drug approved in the last 14 years to treat patients with acutely decompensated congestive heart failure (CHF). (Agreements).
April 1, 2002... * Premier (Chicago, Illinois) awarded Scios (Sunnyvale, California) a three-year contract for its recently FDA-approved drug, Natrecor, the first drug approved in the last 14 years to treat patients with acutely decompensated congestive heart...

Thermogenesis (Rancho Cordova, California) has signed a distribution agreement with Dideco SpA (Mirandola, Italy), a Snia Group company, to begin immediate commercialization of its CryoSeal Fibrin Sealant System in Europe, Eastern Europe, portions of Scandinavia and the Middle East, and Africa. (Agreements).
April 1, 2002... * Thermogenesis (Rancho Cordova, California) has signed a distribution agreement with Dideco SpA (Mirandola, Italy), a Snia Group company, to begin immediate commercialization of its CryoSeal Fibrin Sealant System in Europe, Eastern Europe,...

Drugs keep flowing for heart patients. (Market Updates).
April 1, 2002... While cardiovascular devices are clearly growing in the range of potential applications and therapeutic possibilities, this sector overall still appears to be taking a back seat to the continuing flow of pharmaceuticals being touted as...

Alere Medical. (Personnel File).(names Robert Kolb chief information officer)
April 1, 2002... * Robert Kolb has been named chief information officer of Alere Medical (Reno, Nevada), a provider of care management and remote monitoring of patients with advanced heart failure. He earlier founded First Step, a health care software...

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals. (Personnel File).(names David Hall chief financial officer)
April 1, 2002... * David Hall has been named chief financial officer for Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada). Hall is one of the company's business founders and most recently was senior vice president, finance, secretary and...

Cambridge Heart. (Personnel File).(names Daniel Mulvena chairman of the board)
April 1, 2002... * Daniel Mulvena has been named chairman of the board of Cambridge Heart (Bedford, Massachusetts), replacing Jeffrey Arnold, who resigned the post last week. Mulvena has served as a member of the company's board of directors since 1999. He is a...

CryoLife Europa. (Personnel File).(names Gerald Seery president and CEO)
April 1, 2002... * Gerald Seery has been named president and CEO of CryoLife Europa, the European subsidiary of CryoLife (Atlanta, Georgia). Previously, Seery served as president of AuraZyme Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of CryoLife. CryoLife develops...

Maxxim Medical. (Personnel File).(Paul Mooney assumes management responsibility for for Maxxim's Vascular Group business)
April 1, 2002... * Paul Mooney, president of the Surgical Products Group of Maxxim Medical (Boston, Massachusetts), has assumed added responsibility for Maxxim's Vascular Group business, which makes vascular devices and cath lab custom procedure trays. Mooney...

Photogen Technologies. (Personnel File).(Taffy Williams to become temporary chairman)
April 1, 2002... * Taffy Williams, PhD, president, CEO and a director of Photogen Technologies (New Hope, Pennsylvania), is temporarily taking over additional duties as chairman of the company, with the anticipated resignation of Theodore Tannebaum, due to...

Siemens introduces Soarian Cardiology. (Product Pipeline).(Siemens Medical Solutions)
April 1, 2002... Siemens Medical Solutions (Iselin, New Jersey) introduced the Soarian Cardiology information solution at last month's American College of Cardiology gathering. Soarian Cardiology builds on Siemens' Soarian health information solution, which was...

AtCor Medical. (Product Pipeline).(to market SphygmoCor Px Aortic BP profile system)
April 1, 2002... * AtCor Medical (Sydney, Australia) received FDA approval to market its SphygmoCor Px Aortic BP profile system, a cardiovascular evaluation tool. It noninvasively measures the blood pressure profile in the ascending aortic artery. The...

Bacchus Vascular. (Product Pipeline).(to market Trellis Infusion Catheter)
April 1, 2002... * Bacchus Vascular (Santa Clara, California) was granted 510(k) clearance from the FDA to market its Trellis Infusion Catheter, a percutaneous system designed to facilitate the delivery of physician specified agents, including thrombolytics,...

Collateral Therapeutics (San Diego, California) said the American Heart Association (AHA; Dallas, Texas) issued a press release. (Product Pipeline).
April 1, 2002... * Collateral Therapeutics (San Diego, California) said the American Heart Association (AHA; Dallas, Texas) issued a press release featuring results from the Phase I/II trial for Generx, which appeared in a rapid access issue of Circulation. The...

Guidant. (Product Pipeline).
April 1, 2002... * Guidant (Indianapolis, Indiana) reported CE mark approval of the Easytrak 2 lead, its next-generation heart failure therapy lead using its transvenous over-the-wire design. Easytrak 2 builds on the original Easytrak lead, adding a...

Life Medical Sciences. (Product Pipeline).
April 1, 2002... * Life Medical Sciences (Oceanport, New Jersey) began the feasibility clinical trial on its Repel-CV bioresorbable adhesion barrier. The product is designed to reduce the formation of scar tissue on the surface of the heart after open-heart...

Medtronic. (Product Pipeline).
April 1, 2002... * Medtronic (Minneapolis, Minnesota) released the 2.75 mm S660 Coronary Stent System with Discrete Technology, which recently received premarket approval from the FDA as well as CE mark approval in Europe. The system will be immediately...

Merit Medical Systems. (Product Pipeline).
April 1, 2002... * Merit Medical Systems (South Jordan, Utah), which manufactures disposable products used in cardiology and radiology procedures, introduced the One-Step centesis catheter and the Inject8 Palm Pad syringe. Centesis catheters are used in a...

SonoSite (Bothell, Washington) reported results of a study examining the effectiveness of the SonoSite 180 system in detecting blockages in carotid (neck) arteries during the American Stroke Association's 27th International Stroke Conference in San Antonio, Texas. (Product Pipeline).
April 1, 2002... * SonoSite (Bothell, Washington) reported results of a study examining the effectiveness of the SonoSite 180 system in detecting blockages in carotid (neck) arteries during the American Stroke Association's 27th International Stroke Conference...

St. Jude Medical. (Product Pipeline).(receives approval for SJM Regent heart valve)
April 1, 2002... * St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota) said it received FDA approval for the SJM Regent heart valve, the company's newest mechanical heart valve. St. Jude said the SJM Regent valve offers "exceptional structural integrity, durability and low...

TomTec Imaging Systems. (Product Pipeline).
April 1, 2002... * TomTec Imaging Systems (Munich, Germany), a developer of 3-D and 4-D ultrasound technology, introduced Image-Arena, a suite of solutions for digital image management in echocardiography. The company said the solution supports the cardiologist...