Health Industry Today articles from April 1995

Health Industry Today archives from April 1995

Vendors say O.R. nurses still pack potent purchasing punch. (operating room nurses)
April 1, 1995... The balance of power may be slowly shifting to other parts of the hospital, but depending upon which hospital you are talking about, the size of the institution and in which part of the nation that hospital is located, today's operating room...

Rancor over product custom packs ensnares big-name players. (surgical kits; medical equipment and supplies manufacturers and distributors)
April 1, 1995... Market share battle royal brewing High stakes behind-the-scenes maneuvering that has embroiled a major national purchasing group, powerful manufacturers and a top national medical-surgical distributor has been quietly taking place for months,...

Is a kinder, gentler FDA coming? (Food and Drug Administration)
April 1, 1995... Pressure from the Republican Congress will force the Food & Drug Administration to bring down review times for medical devices, a change that will certainly work to speed device approvals, Wall Street analysts C.J. Lawrence suggest. G.O.P....

Welch Allyn eyes 3-D video laparoscopy market. (Welch-Allyn Inc.'s Imaging Products Div.)
April 1, 1995... Welch Allyn Imaging Products Division, Skaneateles Falls, N.Y., kicked off its announced expansion of its surgical imaging products line for minimally invasive surgery with the launch of StereoVu, a high-resolution 3-D video laparoscope system....

AcryMed launches first product: moist wound dressing. (AcryMed Inc.)
April 1, 1995... AcryMed, Inc., Portland, Ore., a fledgling biomedical company founded in 1993 that specializes in advanced technology wound care management, will soon begin marketing its first product, AcryDerm, a moist wound dressing. The product, which has...

Gas-plasma sterilization in, EtO out with new AbTox sterilizer system. (ethylene oxide sterilization; AbTox Inc.)
April 1, 1995... Most U.S. hospitals have been relying on ethylene oxide sterilization, a process that is long on reliability but short on worker safety and environmental friendliness. On top of that, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has banned the...

Imagyn's small endoscope pointed at alternate care settings. (Imagyn Medical Inc.)
April 1, 1995... In February, Imagyn Medical, Inc., Laguna Niguel, Calif., received FDA clearance to market its MicroLap[TM], a 2mm high-resolution endoscope. The product is designed for outpatient and office laparoscopy, and the company is basing its marketing...

Valleylab's AirForce takes wing through distributors. (ValleyLab Inc.'s surgical smoke evacuation device)
April 1, 1995... Traditionally a manufacturer that has shunned distributors and sold its products direct to its hospital customers, Valleylab Inc., Boulder, Colo., has undergone a major philosophical shift. Since October, the company, a division of the Pfizer...

Alcon Laboratories Inc. (signs contract to supply VHA Inc.'s healthcare organizations)
April 1, 1995... Alcon Laboratories Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, and Allergan Inc., Irvine, Calif. were awarded three-year contracts to supply the 1,132 health care organizations belonging to VHA Inc., Irving, Texas, with intraocular lenses, phacoemulsification...

CliniCom Inc. (sells information systems software and hardware to Presbyterian Healthcare System)
April 1, 1995... CliniCom Inc., Boulder, Colo., announced the sale of CliniCom software and hardware to Texas-based Presbyterian Healthcare System, which will implement the system in all four of its member hospitals in Dallas, Kaufman, Plano and Winnsboro, Texas....

VHA Inc. (signs purchasing agreements with three medical suppliers)
April 1, 1995... VHA Inc., Irving, Texas, signed three-way purchasing agreements with manufacturers of clinical chemistry agents and laboratory diagnostic equipment. Five-year contracts valued at approximately $595 million were signed in late February by VHA with...

Baxter announces half-billion dollar stock buyback plan. (Baxter International (Deerfield, Illinois))
April 1, 1995... Saying it wants to convert its strong cash flow into investments in its high-growth medical specialties businesses and expand offshore operations, the board of directors of Baxter International, Deerfield, Ill., in late February approved a $500...

Management team to acquire Mediq Inc. (MEDIQ Inc.)
April 1, 1995... In response to a strategic plan announced by its board of directors just 11 days before to enhance stockholder value, Mediq Inc., Pennsauken, N.J., will sell all of its outstanding common stock and preferred stock and repay and assume all debt of...

New sizes, expanded clearances buoy American Medical Electronics. (American Medical Electronics Inc.)
April 1, 1995... In a ruling hailed as one that will enable the company to broaden its presence in the soft tissue reattachment market, American Medical Electronics, Inc., Richardson, Texas, received additional FDA 510(k) clearances for its Ogden[TM] Anchor soft...

Wright Medical backs up new lumbar system with distribution pact. (Wright Medical Technology Inc.; BEI Medical Systems Co.)
April 1, 1995... Wright Medical Technology, Inc., Arlington, Tenn., and BEI Medical Systems, Hackensack, N.J., signed an exclusive license agreement under which BEI will distribute Wright's Single Portal Arthroscopic Lumbar Discectomy (ALD) System in the U.S. and...

VHA PLUS updates product packaging. (VHA Inc.)
April 1, 1995... The 250 or so items emblazoned with the VHA PLUS[R] private label are now boasting redesigned product packaging. The items in the VHA PLUS program include pharmaceuticals, medical-surgical supplies, laboratory and radiological products. The...

Future Medical acquires joint venture partner Vasogenics. (Future Medical Products Inc.; Vasogenics Inc.)
April 1, 1995... In a move that consolidates three companies into a single operating entity, Future Medical Products, Inc., Hauppauge, N.Y., acquired Vasogenics, Inc., New York, in a stock purchase transaction of a company that had been its venture partner in...

Bentsen named to Ivax board. (Lloyd Bentsen; Ivax Corp.)
April 1, 1995... Former Secretary of the Treasury, former Texas Senator and one-time Democratic party vice presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen was appointed to the board of directors of Miami-based Ivax Corp., manufacturer of pharmaceuticals, I.V. solutions and...

Baxter acquires Chilean I.V. solutions producer Forgen. (Baxter International Inc. (Deerfield, Illinois); Sueros Forgen Sociedad Ltda.)
April 1, 1995... Supporting its strategy of expanding into high-growth overseas health care markets, Baxter World Trade Corp., the chief international operating subsidiary of Baxter International Inc., Deerfield, Ill., has purchased Sueros Forgen Sociedad Ltda....

Luther Medical nets $5.5 million on patent sale to Critikon. (Luther Medical Products Inc.; Critikon Inc.)
April 1, 1995... Luther Medical Products, Inc., Tustin, Calif., and the Johnson & Johnson company Critikon have agreed on the sale of five Luther Medical patents for $5.5 million pending company approvals that are expected soon. The patents, which involve...

Danish Coloplast builds U.S. skin care sales through acquisition. (Coloplast A S; Sween Corp.)
April 1, 1995... Through its Denmark-based parent Coloplast A/S, Marietta, Ga.-based Coloplast Corp., acquired the Sween Corp., North Mankato, Minn., for $78.5 million. Just nine months ago, Coloplast A/S, which produces advanced medical adhesive technology and...

Heightened demand for general managers forecast.
April 1, 1995... Demand for general managers and other high-level managers could rise by as much as 45% this year, and many of those men and women hired for those positions will come from the ranks of directors of marketing, says a recent study by Christian &...

Continuing on upswing, Bioject inks deal with Visiting Nurses Assn. (Bioject Medical Systems Ltd.; Visiting Nurse Assn. of America)
April 1, 1995... Bioject, Portland, Ore., signed a two-year group purchasing agreement with Visiting Nurses Assn. of America (VNAA) for the use of the company's Biojector[R] 2000 Needle-Free Injection Management System[TM] in its annual flu shot program beginning...

Graphic new look for Graphic Controls graphics. (Graphic Controls Corp.)
April 1, 1995... In an open showing of its emphasis on medical information, medical devices and other science-based technologies, Graphic Controls, Buffalo, N.Y., last month unveiled a new corporate identity, including a redesigned corporate logo. The change was...

Invacare breathes easy, gains pact to supply concentrators to Homedco. (Invacare Corp.; Homedco Group Inc.)
April 1, 1995... In the weeks following the announced merger between home health care giants Homedco Group Inc., Fountain Valley, Calif., and Abbey Healthcare Group, Costa Mesa, Calif., Invacare Corp. has come out a winner. Invacare, which is based in Elyria,...

Medical imaging network suppliers merge. (Cemax Medical Products; ICON Medical Systems)
April 1, 1995... In a development that is hoped to increase a range of products and address price and performance issues, Cemax, Fremont, Calif., and ICON Medical Systems, Campbell, Calif., have agreed to merge operations. Definitive terms of the deal are still...

Albumin shortage worsens.
April 1, 1995... A nationwide shortage of albumin has spawned sharply higher prices, particularly on the spot market, in the same way as a nationwide gas shortage drove prices forever higher in the early 1970s. There's no relief in sight and long lines have...

Exhibition booth space race heats up Hot'lanta. (Assn. of Operating Room Nurses exhibit in Atlanta, Georgia)
April 1, 1995... If there is ever a trade show that has something for everyone, it's the annual product exposition held by the Assn. of Operating Room Nurses. This year's assembly in Atlanta, the 42nd in the series, was no exception. The number of nurses who made...

GM, Safeskin forge glove partnership. (General Medical Corp.; Safeskin Corp.)
April 1, 1995... General Medical Corp., Richmond, Va., and Safeskin Corp., Boca Raton, Fla., have established an alliance that will result in enhanced distribution of Safeskin's lines of latex examination and surgical gloves. The three-year agreement, which is...

Owens to supply emerging Atlanta integrated provider network. (Owens and Minor Inc.; Promina Health System)
April 1, 1995... Owens & Minor, Inc., Richmond, Va., will distribute medical-surgical supplies to a newly created Atlanta-based integrated health care network known as Promina Health System. Promina is an alliance between three Atlanta providers - Piedmont...

Nova adds distribution pact for patient transfer system. (Nova Technologies Inc.)
April 1, 1995... Nova Technologies, Inc., Hauppauge, N.Y., signed a distribution agreement that calls for the sale of 45 units of Nova's new patient transfer system valued at approximately $500,000. The agreement runs through June 30, 1997. The product is called...

Bergen to open Boston plant. (Bergen Brunswig Corp.)
April 1, 1995... Bergen Brunswig Corp., Orange, Calif., signed a purchase agreement that will allow it to open a 200,000sf distribution center in Mansfield, Mass., a suburb of Boston. The new regional facility is scheduled to ship its first order by June 1 in...

G.M. lands 56th Optima pact. (General Medical Corp.)
April 1, 1995... General Medical Corp., Richmond, Va., picked up a multi-year prime vendor supply contract with Whitley County Memorial Hospital, Columbia City, Ind., that is expected to generate approximately $2.1 million in annual sales. The hospital, a member...

Success will follow the medical device sales executive who is keenly attuned to cost issues.
April 1, 1995... Recently, The Wall Street Journal reported a new subject making its way into the nation's medical school curriculum: cost containment. Nearly 80% of accredited U.S. medical schools now include the economics of treatment as part of a required...

Stericycle Inc. (recycled plastic devices receive certification)
April 1, 1995... Stericycle, Inc., Deerfield, Ill., is the first medical products manufacturer to earn certification from Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), Oakland, Calif., for the recycled content of its plastic resin. The company's Steri-Plastic has been...

Advanced Technology Laboratories. (allows COHR MasterPlan to service its product lines)
April 1, 1995... Advanced Technology Laboratories (ATL), Bothell, Wash., and COHR MasterPlan, Van Nuys, Calif., reached agreement in which COHR will assume all service responsibility for ATL's ADR 4000 ultrasound system and EFT Scanheads. The deal makes COHR...

Bio-Imaging Technologies Inc. (signs contract to apply digital image processing technology on brain scans)
April 1, 1995... Bio-Imaging Technologies, Inc., West Trenton, N.J., signed a $1.4 million agreement that will make Bio-Imaging Technologies the medical imaging core laboratory for a clinical trial of a neurologic therapeutic agent. Assuming completion of the...

B. Braun Medical Inc. (buys Brady Medical Products Co.)
April 1, 1995... B. Braun Medical Inc., Bethlehem, Pa., purchased Brady Medical Products Co., a Milwaukee-based the medical products unit of W.H. Brady Co., for an undisclosed price. B. Braun's parent company is B. Braun Melsungen AG, Melsungen, Germany, which...

Medical Data International (MDI). (buys medical products and technologies market report business from Biomedical Business International)
April 1, 1995... Medical Data International (MDI), Irvine, Calif., acquired the market and technology report business from Biomedical Business International (BBI) for an undisclosed price. The deal increases MDI's library of market reports covering medical...

The Diagnostic Division of Miles Inc. (sells cytology and histology product lines to Sakura Finetechnical Company Ltd.)
April 1, 1995... The Diagnostic Division of Miles Inc., Tarrytown, N.Y., sold its histology and cytology product lines to Sakura Finetechnical Co., Ltd., Tokyo. The move was made to allow Miles to better focus on its five core businesses: clinical chemistry;...

Mitek Surgical Products. (Mitek Surgical Products Inc.'s corporate advertising campaign)
April 1, 1995... Fresh from its acquisition by Johnson & Johnson, Mitek Surgical Products, Norwood, Mass., unveiled a new corporate advertising campaign designed to reinforce its position as the pioneer in soft tissue anchors and the manufacturer with the widest...

Storz Ophthalmics, Inc. (selects advertising agency for its Ocuvite Extra vitamin and mineral supplement)
April 1, 1995... Storz Ophthalmics, Inc., Clearwater, Fla., a division of American Home Products, Madison, N.J., selected Brannigan-DeMarco Communications, New York, as its agency of record for Ocuvite[R] Extra vitamin and mineral supplement.

United States Surgical Corp. (will rehire 100 employees)
April 1, 1995... Increases in suture and laparoscopic equipment sales prompted United States Surgical Corp., Norwalk, Conn., to rehire 100 manufacturing employees at its North Haven, Conn., facility. The rehiring announcement, together with the company's recent...

Assn. of Operating Room Nurses, Inc. (AORN). (launches monthly publication)
April 1, 1995... The Assn. of Operating Room Nurses, Inc. (AORN) launched a new monthly publication, Surgical Services Management, that is designed to provide information about trends in management and the surgical environment. The subscription-based publication...

MedAmicus, Inc. (signs up German firm Nicolai Co. as exclusive distributor of Lumax Fiber Optic Standalone Cystometry system)
April 1, 1995... MedAmicus, Inc., Plymouth, Minn., signed an agreement with Nicolai, a German medical products distribution company, that grants Nicolai exclusive distribution rights in Germany to MedAmicus' Lumax[TM] Fiber Optic Standalone Cystometry system....

Quest Medical, Inc. (will buy all capital stock of Neuromed Inc.)
April 1, 1995... Quest Medical, Inc., Dallas, will purchase all of the capital stock of Neuromed, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for undisclosed terms. Quest Medical is a manufacturer of proprietary products used in cardiovascular surgery, oncology, anesthesiology...

Biomagnetic Technologies Inc. (gets orders for Magnes II Magnetic Source Imaging System from Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden)
April 1, 1995... Biomagnetic Technologies Inc. (BTi), San Diego, received an order for its Magnes II Magnetic Source Imaging System (MSI) from the Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. The institution is a world leader in magnetic source imaging, and the...

Graphic Controls Corp. (ends merger talks with Tyco International Inc.)
April 1, 1995... Graphic Controls Corp., Buffalo, N.Y., and Tyco international Ltd., Exeter, N.H., terminated their corporate merger discussions by mutual agreement. The prospective merger was announced Dec. 9 and was met with long delays as a result of the...

Biocontrol Technology, Inc. (wins contract from NeuroControl Corp.)
April 1, 1995... Biocontrol Technology, Inc., Pittsburgh, was awarded a $2.2 million contract from NeuroControl Corp., Cleveland, to manufacture functional electrical stimulators. Previously, Biocontrol has gained contracts valued at about $1.3 million from...

Hoefer Scientific Instruments. (acquired by Pharmacia Biotech AB)
April 1, 1995... Hoefer Scientific Instruments, San Francisco, was acquired by Pharmacia Biotech AB, a Swedish biotech supplier. The purchase of Hoefer Scientific, a company specializing in electrophoresis instruments, is expected to expand Pharmacia Biotech's...

Acuson Corp. (installs 50th unit of its Aegis Sonography Management System)
April 1, 1995... Acuson Corp., Mountain View, Calif., installed the 50th unit of its Aegis[TM] Sonography Management System[TM] at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, Wis. According to Acuson, the company now has the largest installed base...

Accucore, Inc. (signs marketing agreement for cardiac telemetry systems and ambulatory monitoring devices)
April 1, 1995... Accucore, Inc., Santa Ana, Calif., signed a cooperative marketing and development agreement with Del Mar Avionics, Irvine, Calif., involving Accucore's cardiac telemetry system and Del Mar's line of ambulatory monitoring devices.

CliniCom Inc. (receives orders from HBO and Co. worth $17.7 million in fourth quarter 1994)
April 1, 1995... CliniCom Inc., Boulder, Colo., received 22 fourth-quarter 1994 orders valued at approximately $17.7 million from Atlanta-based HBO & Co., resulting from the exclusive strategic business alliance between the two companies in which HBO & Co....

February 1995 purchasing managers' report. (medical equipment and supplies)
April 1, 1995... Growth in the nation's manufacturing sector continued in February but at a significantly lower rate than in January, says the March report from the National Assn. of Purchasing Management. Nevertheless, manufacturing did register growth for the...

Owens & Minor, Inc. (executive appointments)
April 1, 1995... Owens & Minor, Inc.: Craig R. Smith was promoted to chief operating officer as part of recent management changes at this Richmond, Va.-based medical-surgical supply distributor. Smith has been with Owens since 1989, most recently as executive...

General Medical Corp. (executive appointments)
April 1, 1995... General Medical Corp.: Frank Massey was named vice president of information systems for this Richmond, Va.-based distributor of medical supplies and equipment. He returns to G.M. after holding the position of senior vice president of management...

CliniCom Inc. (executive appointments)
April 1, 1995... CliniCom Inc.: Craig Lund was promoted to vice president of sales of the Boulder, Colo.-based information systems concern. In his new position, he will oversee all aspects of the company's direct channel sales. Prior to his promotion, Lund served...

Dianon Systems, Inc. (official appointments)
April 1, 1995... Dianon Systems, Inc.: Richard Sandberg was appointed president and CEO of this Stratford, Conn.-based specialized reference laboratory service. Sandberg is a founder of the company. He succeeds Jack Davis, who resigned those posts and accepted a...

McKesson Corp. (new president and CEO)
April 1, 1995... McKesson Corp.: Claudio F. Bussandri was named president and CEO of Medis Health and Pharmaceutical Services, Kirkland, Quebec, a subsidiary of San Francisco-based McKesson. Medis is Canada's only national distributor of a full line of health...

Marquest Medical Products Inc. (executive resignations)
April 1, 1995... Marquest Medical Products Inc.: James E. Brands, Robert D. Tucker and Denise C. Demick resigned in a shake-up at this Englewood, Colo.-based manufacturer of specialty cardiopulmonary support, respiratory and anesthesia disposable devices. Brands...

Ohmeda Medical Systems Division. (new sales executive)
April 1, 1995... Ohmeda Medical Systems Division: Dave Sunde was named vice president of sales and service for this Madison, Wis.-based anesthesia delivery systems and support producer, the health care business of UK.-based BOC Group. Sunde joined Ohmeda in...

Bob White & Associates. (Kimberly-Clark Corp.'s sales awards)
April 1, 1995... Bob White & Associates: Bob White was named Individual Rep of the Year by the Kimberly-Clark Corp., Roswell, Ga. At the same time, K-C tabbed Mike Rheuport of PAMed Medical Specialties, Inc., Lincroft, N.J., as Rookie Rep of the Year. In January,...

Roatan Medical Services Corp. (new Western regional manager)
April 1, 1995... Roatan Medical Services Corp.: Suzanne Helton was named Western region manager for this Dallas-based infectious waste disposal technology firm. She joins Roatan from New Jersey-based ABB Sanitec, where she was regulatory affairs manager.

W.J. Willis Co. (appoints junior partner and sales associate)
April 1, 1995... W.J. Willis Co.: Tom Devereaux was promoted to junior partner and sales associate for this Allentown, Pa.-based medical marketing firm. Devereaux has been with W.J. Willis since 1979, operating mostly in the metro Philadelphia area.

Young Medical Equipment. (president Tim Pontius appointed director of National Assn. of Medical Equipment Suppliers)
April 1, 1995... Young Medical Equipment: Tim Pontius, president of this Toledo, Ohio-based home medical equipment supplier, was named to the board of directors of NAMES, the National Assn. for Medical Equipment Services,

Wright Medical Technology, Inc. (appoints new marketing executive)
April 1, 1995... Wright Medical Technology, Inc.: Lee R. Cohen joined this Arlington, Tenn.-based manufacturer and global distributor of orthopedic implants and instrumentation as senior director of marketing for spine and arthroscopy. She previously served as...

National Assn. for Medical Equipment Services (NAMES). (appoints Dick Couture as director of membership recruitment)
April 1, 1995... National Assn. for Medical Equipment Services (NAMES): Dick Couture was named director of membership recruitment.

Health Industry Distributors Assn. (appoints government liaison officer)
April 1, 1995... Health Industry Distributors Assn.: Stephen M. Azia joined the HIDA government relations department as assistant director of government relations, regulatory affairs.