Cardiovascular Device Update articles from February 2004

Cardiovascular Device Update archives from February 2004

Investors hear companies and clinicians discuss opportunities.
February 1, 2004... Cardiovascular companies--and cardiovascular topics--captured much of the spotlight in healthcare investor conferences that took place last month a little more than a week apart at opposite ends of the country. The 22nd annual JPMorgan...

Cytokine IL-6 plays role in heart damage from septic shock.(From the Lab)
February 1, 2004... The cytokine interleukin-6 plays an important role in triggering the rapid damage to heart muscle function that can develop in people with septic shock following infection with meningococci, a condition that often is fatal. The team making that...

Irish biomed center gets EUR 19M for studies.(Report from Europe)
February 1, 2004... Ireland's first major effort in stem cell research is getting off the ground at the National University of Ireland (Galway). The National Center for Biomedical Engineering Science at the college has secured EUR 15 million from Science...

Charles River Laboratories International (Wilmington, Massachusetts) has acquired River Valley Farms (Minneapolis, Minnesota), a privately held medical device contract research business.(Acquisitions)
February 1, 2004... Charles River Laboratories International (Wilmington, Massachusetts) has acquired River Valley Farms (Minneapolis, Minnesota), a privately held medical device contract research business. Terms were not disclosed. River Valley Farms provides...

Recom Managed Systems (Los Angeles, California) reported that it would acquire from TZ Medical (Portland, Oregon) the over-the-counter (OTC) Cardio Sentry heart event recorder.(Acquisitions)
February 1, 2004... Recom Managed Systems (Los Angeles, California) reported that it would acquire from TZ Medical (Portland, Oregon) the over-the-counter (OTCI Cardio Sentry heart event recorder, a device, it said, believed to be among the first to have received...

Study eyes adipose regenerative cell use.(Business Developments)
February 1, 2004... MacroPore Biosurgery (San Diego, California) has received a fast-track Phase I/II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH; Bethesda, Maryland) to study the role of adipose-derived regenerative...

Biophan Technologies (Rochester, New York), a developer and marketer of advanced biomedical technology, has secured additional technology rights expanding its exclusive license for use of nanomagnetic particle and other technology.(Acquisitions)
February 1, 2004... Biophan Technologies (Rochester, New York), a developer and marketer of advanced biomedical technology, has secured additional technology rights expanding its exclusive license for use of nanomagnetic particle and other technology. The...

Cardiac Science (Irvine, California), a manufacturer of automated defibrillators (AEDs), said it has been awarded multi-year contracts by several of the world's largest pharmaceutical manufacturers.(Acquisitions)
February 1, 2004... Cardiac Science (Irvine, California), a manufacturer of automated defibrillators (AEDs), said it has been awarded multi-year contracts by several of the world's largest pharmaceutical manufacturers, including AstraZeneca (London),...

GenVec (Gaithersburg, Maryland) said it has entered into a research collaboration with Cordis'.(Acquisitions)
February 1, 2004... GenVec (Gaithersburg, Maryland) said it has entered into a research collaboration with Cordis' (Miami Lakes, Florida) Cardiology division to study the clinical benefit of Biobypass in a procedure involving guided delivery of the angiogenic...

Therapeutic cloning aids in heart cell repair.(Market Updates)
February 1, 2004... Advanced Cell Technology (ACT; Worcester, Massachusetts) reports that nuclear transfer cloning can be used to repair and regenerate the damage done to an infarcted heart. The results of a study, appearing online in the American Heart...

LifeWave.(Personnel File)
February 1, 2004... Franklin Beninsig has been appointed vice president of licensing and intellectual property for LifeWave (Sacramento, California). Beninsig has served as an intellectual property expert or litigation/ discovery coordinator for several law firms,...

Omnisonics Medical Technologies.(Personnel File)
February 1, 2004... Omnisonics Medical Technologies (Wilmington. Massachusetts) has named Daniel Geffken senior vice president and chief financial officer. Geffken previously held the same posts at Transkaryotic Therapies. OmniSonics develops medical devices to...

Serologicals.(Personnel File)
February 1, 2004... Philip Theodore has been named vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Serologicals (Atlanta, Georgia). Theodore will serve as an officer of the corporation and as a member of the executive operating committee. Previously, he...

St. Jude Medical.(Personnel File)
February 1, 2004... St. Jude Medical (St.Paul, Minnesota) reported that Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Shepherd has decided to retire, effective with the company's annual meeting in May 2004. The board of directors has elected President and Chief...

VivoMetrics.(Personnel File)
February 1, 2004... Alex Derchak, PhD, has joined VivoMetrics (Ventura, California) as director of clinical research. Derchak previously was a senior scientific communications associate in the global scientific information and communications at Eli Lilly....

CryoCor begins U.S. trial for atrial flutter.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... CryoCor (San Diego, California) said it has initiated its first U.S. multi-center pivotal clinical trial under a protocol approved by the FDA to treat atrial flutter with its CryoCor Cardiac Cryoablation System. CryoCor's system is the first...

Biophan Technologies (Rochester, New York), a developer of advanced biomedical technology.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Biophan Technologies (Rochester, New York), a developer of advanced biomedical technology, said its licensor for nanomagnetic particle technologies has been issued a U.S. patent covering the use of nanomagnetic particle technology on medical...

Biotronik.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Biotronik (Lake Oswego, Oregon) said the FDA has approved interactive Internet access to the Biotronik Home Monitoring early detection system. Available for both implantable cardiac defibrillators and pacemakers, it is the first early detection...

Boston Scientific.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts) said it has received the CE mark for its new coronary stent, the Liberte. The company planned to launch the stent immediately in Europe and other international markets, and in the U.S. in the second...

Cardima.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Cardima (Fremont, California) has submitted an amendment to its premarket approval application to the FDA for approval to market the Revelation Tx linear ablation catheter to treat paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. The Revelation Tx system is a...

Devax.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Devax (Irvine, California) reported CE mark approval for an expanded size range of its Axxess bifurcated stent system for the treatment of stenosis at coronary bifurcations. The company said it intends to market the Axxess stent in Europe in...

Endologix.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Endologix (Irvine, California) said it has filed its completed premarket approval (PMA) submission with the FDA for the PowerLink System, an endoluminal stent graft for the minimally invasive treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysms. The...

Guidant.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Guidant (Indianapolis, Indiana) has launched its Acrobat SUV (Swivel, Universal, Vacuum) Stabilizer System for beating-heart surgery. The Acrobat SUV Stabilizer System is the next-generation addition to the established Acrobat line of...

Medicsight.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Medicsight (London) has received FDA clearance for two of its computer-aided diagnostic products, enabling U.S. distribution for the first time. MedicHeart is a new software solution that defines and measures plaque burden, providing a more...

Medtronic.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Medtronic (Minneapolis, Minnesota) reported FDA clearance and U.S. commercial release of the Medtronic EnPulse pacing system. The new system incorporates enhanced features to help physicians better manage patients with slow heart rhythms and...

MicroMed Technology (Houston, Texas) reported FDA approval of the company's request to supplement its IDE-approved destination therapy clinical trial.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... MicroMed Technology (Houston, Texas) reported FDA approval of the company's request to supplement its IDE-approved destination therapy clinical trial. The supplement changes the patient randomization scheme to a 2:1 ratio of MicroMed DeBakey...

SS&II.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... SS&II (Manchester, New Hampshire) reported the allowance of all claims of U.S. patent publication No. 20020151924, broadly covering an angioplasty balloon with ridges mounted on its outer surface for treating occluded coronary and peripheral...

St. Jude Medical.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... St. Jude Medical (St. Paul, Minnesota) has filed with the FDA the final module of its PMA application for its Epic HF implantable cardioverter defibrillator, the Atlas+ HF ICD, the Aescula 1055K left heart lead and the Quicksite 1056K left...

Synthetic Blood International.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Synthetic Blood International (SYBD; Costa Mesa, California) said that Phase II clinical testing of Oxycyte, the company's perfluorocarbon-based blood substitute and therapeutic oxygen carrier, is scheduled to begin during the first quarter....

Tepha.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Tepha (Cambridge, Massachusetts) reported what it called "a major step forward" in the development of absorbable elastomeric biomaterials for use in cardiovascular stents and other medical device products. The company submitted a device master...

Vasomedical (Westbury, New York) said a study published in the December issue of Cardiology showed evidence of clinical safety and effectiveness in using enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) as a first-line treatment for patients suffering from angina refractory to medical therapy.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Vasomedical (Westbury, New York) said a study published in the December issue of Cardiology showed evidence of clinical safety and effectiveness in using enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) as a first-line treatment for patients suffering...

Ventracor (Sydney, Australia) reported the fourth implant of its VentrAssist left ventricular assist system (LVAS).(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Ventracor (Sydney, Australia) reported the fourth implant of its VentrAssist left ventricular assist system (LVAS)--being billed as "Australia's artificial heart"--at The Alfred Hospital (Melbourne, Australia). Professor Don Esmore, chief...

Welch Allyn.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Welch Allyn (Skaneateles Fails, New York) introduced two new multi-channel electrocardiographs (ECG), the Welch Allyn CP 10 and CP 20. Both units are battery operated and feature alphanumeric keyboards for easy entry of patient demographics,...

WorldHeart (Ottawa, Ontario) reported that the FDA has approved its premarket approval supplement submission to incorporate several engineering enhancements to the implanted and external components of its Novacor left ventricular assist system (LVAS).(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... WorldHeart (Ottawa, Ontario) reported that the FDA has approved its premarket approval supplement submission to incorporate several engineering enhancements to the implanted and external components of its Novacor left ventricular assist system...

Xtrak Medical.(Product Pipeline)
February 1, 2004... Xtrak Medical (Salem, New Hampshire) reported FDA clearance for its TOPS support catheter. The TOPS operates over standard .014" to .018" steerable guidewires to assist crossing difficult occlusions. Once the occlusion is crossed, TOPS is...