Medtronic acquires remaining shares of
CryoCath Technologies Inc.
31 December 2008
Medtronic acquires Influent Medical's
Repose product line
Medtronic, Inc. has acquired InfluENT Medical's Repose GAHM product line
for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. 31 December 2008
St Jude Medical acquires MediGuide
St Jude Medical, Inc. has acquired all of the outstanding shares of
MediGuide Inc., including the 41.3% interest owned by Elbit Systems
Ltd., for $283 million in cash. 31 December 2008
St Jude Medical acquires Radi Medical
Systems
St Jude Medical, Inc (NYSE: STJ) has completed the acquisition of
Radi Medical Systems AB for $250 million in cash. 31 December 2008
U-Systems, Inc. announces technology
licensing agreement with Siemens Healthcare
The U-Systems’ somo•VIEWer advanced workstation for Automated Breast
Ultrasound has been licensed for use with the newly introduced Siemens’
ACUSON S2000 Automated Breast Volume Scanner (ABVS). 31 December 2008
Nihon Kohden acquires Neurotronics
Japanese company Nihon Kohden Corporation has announced the mutual
agreement of acquisition of a 100% share of Florida-based Neurotronics
Incorporated. 31 December 2008
Olympus enters into sales and
distribution partnership with Advanced Surgical Concepts
Olympus has signed an exclusive agreement to distribute the minimally
invasive surgery products of Irish company Advanced Surgical Concepts
worldwide. 22 December 2008
Siemens to integrate laboratory and
clinical systems at Hospital Clinic Barcelona
Siemens Healthcare has signed an agreement with Hospital Clinic in
Barcelona, Spain, to integrate the use of laboratory diagnostics,
imaging and information technology systems to improve management of
patient care from early detection and diagnosis of diseases or
conditions to patient treatment. 22 December 2008
Hidalgo physiological monitoring system gains
CE approval
Produced by Jaltek Systems Equivital is an ambulatory, wearable, high
performance physiological system providing continuous real-time
visibility of an individual’s vital signs. 19 December 2008
St Jude Medical announces name
change for neuromodulation division
St Jude Medical, Inc. (NYSE:STJ) has announced that its neuromodulation
division, formerly Advanced Neuromodulation Systems, has adopted the St
Jude Medical name. 17 December 2008
Global life science businesses
seeking UK partners in biotechnology
UK companies have an opportunity to meet and do business with
international players in the life science industry at The Biotechnology
Business Exchange (BBE) in London on Monday 8 December. 4 December
2008
Philips acquires Indian x-ray
manufacturer in further expansion in emerging markets
This deal follows recent healthcare technology acquisitions in India,
China and Brazil. 24 November 2008
Marillion Pharmaceuticals licenses
Bracco Imaging's novel targetted prostate and breast cancer treatments
Bracco’s treatment for hormone-resistant prostate and advanced
(metastatic) breast cancers has unique targeting capability that enables
it to home in on tumour cells and spare normal tissues. 24
November 2008
PerkinElmer realigns business to
focus on human and environmental health
PerkinElmer’s Human Health Business will be based on developing
diagnostics, tools and applications to fight illness, provide better
medical insight and more rapidly create critical new therapies. It will
include the company’s Genetic Screening, Bio-discovery and Medical
Imaging operating units. 24 November 2008
ArQule and Daiichi-Sankyo in
strategic partnership to develop novel anti-cancer compounds. 24
November 2008
Cabernet Pharmaceuticals and Lilly
in alliance to develop patient-tailored therapeutic drugs. 20
November 2008
Developer of revolutionary
non-invasive blood glucose monitor moves to UK
US company Sensys Medical, the developer of groundbreaking
non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology, has announced that it
is relocating its world headquarters to the UK. The technology is set to
revolutionise the way in which diabetics monitor and manage their
condition. 20 November 2008
Ingen Technologies signs distribution
agreement for oxygen flow meters in Saudi Arabia
Ingen Technologies, Inc. has signed a three-year exclusive distribution
agreement with Batterjee Medical Services to distribute its Oxyview and
OxyAlert respiratory assist products within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
18 November 2008
Nanogen partners with Menarini to
market molecular diagnostic kits in Europe
Under the agreement, Menarini will commercialize CE marked IVD
infectious disease kits based on Nanogen’s proprietary MGB technology.
12 November 2008
Health Robotics announces contract for
its CytoCare and IV Station robots with Arabian Health Care Supply
Corporation
Italian company Health-Robotics has signed an exclusive 5-year strategic
partnership with Arabian Health Care Supply Corporation (AHCSC-OLAYAN),
the leading medical device provider within the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC) countries. 11 November 2008
Kinaxo and Boehringer Ingelheim to
collaborate in drug discovery
Kinaxo Biotechnologies GmbH, a spin-off of the Max Planck Institute of
Biochemistry, has entered into a two-year collaboration with Boehringer
Ingelheim to study drug mode of action and target identification. 9
November 2008
UK leads worldwide
sales of Siemens Ysio digital radiography system
The Siemens Ysio product team in the UK has achieved the highest number
of sales worldwide of the new digital radiography (DR) system with
wireless detector. 9 November 2008
First transplantation of lungs using
Steen solution carried out in North America
Swedish company Vitrolife has announced that lung transplantations using
its Steen Solution technology have been carried out in North America as
part of a study being carried out as a basis for the application for
sales approval in the USA and Canada. 27 October 2008
IDEX Corporation acquires optical
filter producer Semrock. 27 October 2008
Pfizer and UCB form new
drug-discovery company with support of UK Technology Strategy Board.
27 October 2008
Philips adds Respironics to Moore
microprocessor patent license. 27 October 2008
Active Implants enters UK
distribution agreement with Joint Replacement Instrumentation. 27
October 2008
Medical device markets to ride out
economic crisis
Medical technology markets are resilient in times of economic downturn,
providing shelter for investors worrying about drops in other, more
volatile industries, according to Millennium Research Group. 23 October
2008
iMDsoft wins clinical data management
contract in Norway
iMDsoft and ErgoGroup have signed a framework agreement with Helse
Sør-Øst RHF (South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority) to provide
integrated clinical data management services to the Health Trusts and
related hospitals in southeast Norway. The value of the project is
estimated to be up to €29 million.
20 October 2008
GE Healthcare and Boston Scientific
collaborate on cardiovascular imaging
GE Healthcare and Boston Scientific Corporation have announced a
collaboration that enables improved intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)
workflow between the GE Healthcare Innova Cardiovascular x-ray system
and the Boston Scientific iLab ultrasound imaging system. 14 October
2008
Caprion awarded $12.9M US
infectious disease biomarker research contract
Caprion Proteomics Inc. has been awarded a $12.9 million contract by the
US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), for
research into biomarkers with potential for clinical use against
infection from diseases caused by biodefense pathogens. 14 October 2008
Francais
LIFE Biosystems to deploy TEMIS'
clinical text analysis solution Luxid
LIFE Biosystems has entered into a strategic software and services agreement
with TEMIS to use TEMIS' Luxid for Life Sciences solution to expedite the
analysis of clinical and molecular data from diverse textual information
sources. 14 October 2008
Francais
Deutsch
VWR International acquires Omnilab AG
VWR International, LLC, a laboratory supply company, has announced that it
has acquired Omnilab AG, a Swiss scientific laboratory supply distributor
headquartered in Mettmenstetten near Zurich. 10 October 2008
bioMérieux to develop non-invasive test
for prostate cancer
French in vitro diagnostics company bioMérieux has signed a license and
development agreement with German biotechnology company ProteoSys for its
novel prostate cancer marker Annexin 3, which will be used to develop a
urine-based, confirmatory diagnostic test for prostate cancer. 2 October
2008 Francais
BSI launches new fast track program for
medical device CE marking
Quality management systems registrar BSI has launched a new fast track
program, called CE-45, that expedites the review process in which most
reviews are completed in 45 working days for medical devices headed to the
European markets. 29 September 2008
SunTech Medical blood pressure monitor
chosen by GE for cardiac stress ECG systems
GE Healthcare will offer the SunTech Tango+ blood pressure monitor with its
CASE cardiac assessment system for exercise testing and CardioSoft exercise
stress testing. 18 September 2008
Deutsch Espanol
Francais
Italiano
Merck Serono and Ablynx in agreement to
research and develop nanobodies
Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, has entered into an agreement with
Ablynx, to co-discover and co-develop Nanobodies against two targets in
oncology and immunology. 17 September 2008
Agendia and Ferrer in sales agreement
for cancer diagnostic services in European markets
Agendia BV and Ferrer inCode have announced an agreement that will give
Ferrer exclusive rights to sell two of Agendia's signature cancer diagnostic
services in Germany, France, Italy, and Portugal. 17 september 2008
Reliant Technologies and Philips
partner to develop laser products for skin treatment
Reliant Technologies Inc., developer of the Fraxel laser systems, has
announced an agreement with Philips to develop skin care technologies for
use in the home. 21 August 2008
Bruker AXS to acquire microscopy
company Surface Imaging Systems GmbH
Bruker AXS GmbH, a subsidiary of scientific equipment supplier Bruker
Corporation, has signed an agreement to take over German atomic force
microscope manufacturer SIS Surface Imaging Systems GmbH. 21 August 2008
St Jude Medical's HIFU cardiac ablation
system gains EU and US approval
St Jude Medical has received European and US clearance for its Epicor LP
cardiac ablation system that uses HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound)
to surgically ablate cardiac tissue to disrupt abnormal electrical impulses
in the heart. 21 August 2008
Medtronic shows strong growth of 19%
Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE:MDT) has recorded a revenue of $3.706 billion for the
first quarter of fiscal year 2009 (ended July 25, 2008), an increase of 19%
over the same period last year. 21 August 2008
Lab21 to market deCODE genetic tests
for common diseases in UK
Cambridge company Lab21 Limited has entered into a partnership with
Icelandic company deCODE genetics, to offer deCODE’s tests for
predisposition to a growing number of common diseases. 13 August 2008
Covidien acquires CardioDigital patient
monitoring technology
Covidien has announced the acquisition of technology assets from
CardioDigital Inc, a company specialising in the development of advanced
signal processing for patient monitoring. 13 August 2008
iSOFT wins €8.7m new business in Europe
iSOFT has announced that it has secured new business together with renewal
of contracts worth €8.7 million in the UK and central Europe over the past
month. 13 August 2008
NoemaLife acquires Ferrania UK
Italian-German healthcare software specialist NoemaLife SpA has taken over Ferrania
UK Limited, the UK arm of Italian medical imaging and photographic product
company Ferrania Technologies SpA. 11 August 2008
Cardiac Science reports revenue up 16%
Cardiac Science Corporation has announced revenue of $52.1 million for the
quarter ended June 30, 2008, a 16% growth compared to the same period last
year. 6 August 2008
CHAD Therapeutics receives FDA
clearance for sleep diagnostic device
Dormio Tech, a division of CHAD Therapeutics, Inc. has received 510(K)
clearance from the FDA to market its FloChannel Diagnostic System in the
USA. It is Dormio's first product for the sleep disorder market. 6 August
2008
GE to acquire Vital Signs for US$860m
GE Healthcare is to take over medical device manufacturer Vital Signs, Inc.
for approximately US$860 million. Vital Signs shareholders will receive
$74.50 per share in cash for each share they own. 2 August 2008
SonoSite and GE resolve ultrasound
patent lawsuit
SonoSite has announced that a lawsuit filed against it by GE has been
resolved. Following the trial court’s summary judgment rulings on July 24,
2008 the parties agreed to dismiss the remaining claims. 2 August 2008
Roche boosts RNAi capability with
acquisition of Mirus Bio Corporation
Roche is to take over RNA technology company Mirus Bio Corporation for
US$125m. Mirus is a privately-owned company based in Madison, Wisconsin,
USA, that focuses on the discovery and development of innovative nucleic
acid based technologies, including a proprietary RNAi (ribonucleic acid
interference) delivery platform. 1 August 2008
iCAD records revenue growth of 73%
Computer-aided cancer detection systems supplier iCAD, Inc. has announced
announced record revenue of $10.5 million for the second, quarter of 2008 up
73% over last year. 1 August 2008
Abbott invests further US$20M in Ibis
Biosciences' biosensor platform
The investment will allow Ibis to further develop the Ibis T5000 Biosensor
System, which offers a unique solution for rapid identification and
characterization of infectious agents, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi.
30 July 2008
Three Novalis Tx radiosurgery platforms
ordered by Danish cancer hospital
Varian Medical Systems and BrainLAB AG have announced that one of
Scandinavia’s leading cancer centres has ordered three Novalis Tx
radiosurgery platforms which combine the most advanced technologies from
both companies to offer superior non-invasive radiosurgery for patients. 30
July 2008
Osmetech receives FDA clearance for
warfarin sensitivity test
Molecular diagnostics company Osmetech plc has received 510(k) clearance
from the US Food & Drug Administration for its eSensor Warfarin sensitivity
test to be used as an aid in the identification of patients at risk for
increased sensitivity to the widely used blood-thinning drug, warfarin. 30
July 2008
Agfa HealthCare appoints new head of IT
division
Agfa HealthCare has appointed Dr Volker Wetekam as its new Executive Vice
President for its global HealthCare IT division. He moves from Siemens
Medical Solutions and will be responsible for Agfa's imaging informatics and
enterprise IT business, which covers PACS, cardiovascular, hospital and
clinical information systems. 30 July 2008
Light Sciences Oncology raises $40
million financing
The company has raised $40.1 million in a Series C round of financing and
plans to use the funds in the continued development of Light Infusion
Therapy technology. 30 July 2008
Asahi Intecc and MediGuide collaborate
on guide-wire technology for cardiology
Asahi Intecc and MediGuide have signed a collaboration agreement for the
development and marketing of an innovative guide wire (G-Wire) using an
integrated, sub-millimetre magnetic tracking sensor for the interventional
cardiology market. 30 July 2008
GE restructures business
GE has restructured its operations into four divisions from six, with
healthcare now joined with Aviation, Transportation and Enterprise
Solutions in the GE Technology Infrastructure 'segment'. 29 July 2008
Rentschler focuses on biotechnology
Rentschler will invest another €14
million in the expansion of Rentschler Biotechnologie GmbH at its Laupheim,
Germany site and has sold Rentschler Pharma to to Riemser Arzneimittel. 17
July 2008
Agfa HealthCare integrates OrthoView
into IMPAX
Agfa HealthCare and Southampton, UK based Meridian Technique Ltd have signed
an agreement to integrate Meridian's orthopaedic digital planning solution,
OrthoView, into Agfa HealthCare's IMPAX for Orthopaedics solution. 17 July
2008
Varian ranked first in oncology IT
vendors
Varian Medical Systems was ranked the leading supplier in its class in an
independent study released by KLAS, a research firm that specialises in
monitoring and reporting on the performance of healthcare vendors. 16 July
2008
BD gains EU approval for Clostridium
difficile diagnostic test
BD Diagnostics has gained EU approval for its GeneOhm Cdiff molecular assay
for the rapid diagnosis of patients with Clostridium difficile
infection (CDI). The test combines high assay sensitivity with a rapid
turnaround time of less than two hours. 16 July 2008
t+ Medical acquires Vivatec Ltd
Oxford-based telecare company t+ Medical has acquired preventative telecare
supplier Vivatec Ltd. The purchase of Vivatec will allow t+ Medical to
expand by offering an integrated patient monitoring solution covering
medical devices, communication technology and nurse call centres. 16 July
2008
Allium Medical expands stent
distribution in Europe
Allium Medical Group has signed exclusive distribution deals for both its
ureteral and biliary stents with MenkeMed for the German and Austrian
markets and Ecce Dutoit for the Belgian, Dutch and Luxemburgian (Benelux)
markets. 14 July 2008
iSOFT wins Moscow lab system contract
IBA Health Group company iSOFT has won a contract for its LabCentre
laboratory information system with Gemotest, a Moscow-based private
laboratory group. 26 June 2008
Johnson & Johnson acquires Swedish in
vitro diagnostic technology company Amic
Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, a Johnson & Johnson company, has acquired Amic,
a privately held Swedish developer of in vitro diagnostic technologies for
use in point-of-care and near-patient settings. 19 June 2008
Philips and Skytron team up to provide
hybrid operating rooms
Royal Philips Electronics and Skytron have entered into a partnership to
supply hybrid operating rooms for minimally invasive cardiovascular surgical
procedures, combining Philips’ cardiovascular x-ray systems with Skytron’s
surgery room equipment. 19 June 2008
IHA to assess value of medical devices
and improve use
The Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA) of California has been awarded a
$1.3m grant to implement statewide collection of comparative data, evaluate
purchasing and payment systems, and develop a new episode-based payment
method for medical device purchasing. 6 June 2008
Medtronic awarded $250m in patent
lawsuit against Boston Scientific
Medtronic, Inc. has been awarded $250 million in damages by a US District
Court that found that Boston Scientific Corporation has infringed three
patents on angioplasty catheters owned by Medtronic. 3 June 2008
GE Healthcare adds M*Modal's speech
understanding technology to radiology reporting
GE Healthcare has announced a partnership agreement with M*Modal to
integrate its advanced speech understanding solutions into GE's Centricity
radiology information system reporting module. 21 May 2008
Sorin Group to use Greatbatch’s
MRI-safe technology in cardiac devices
The Sorin Group has announced that it intends to use technology from
Greatbatch Inc to accelerate its programme to make its cardiac rhythm
management (CRM) systems MRI compatible. 21 May 2008
Australian Safety Agency orders Elekta
Synergy for radiation calibration
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has
ordered an Elekta linear accelerator for benchmarking physics measurements.
21 May 2008
Olympus Medical to market Spiration's
pulmonary device in Europe
Olympus Medical Systems Corp. and Spiration, Inc. have signed an agreement
granting Olympus exclusive marketing and distribution rights in 43 European
countires for Spiration’s IBV Valve System. 21 May 2008
Touch Bionics acquires Livingskin
Scottish company Touch Bionics, developer of the i-Limb bionic hand, has
acquired Livingskin, the company that produces the lifelike prosthetic skin
that is already used to cover the hand. 18 May 2008
Bridgehead Consulting completes due
diligence study for Tyrell Inc
Bridgehead International recently completed an independent due diligence
study on Tyrell Inc. as part of a fundraising programme. Tyrell Inc.
develops medical devices for the treatment of skin lesions. 18 May 2008
Sandvik acquires UK medical instrument
company Eurocut
Sandvik Materials Technology has acquired UK medical technology company
Eurocut Ltd, manufacturer of medical instruments and implants for the
orthopaedic sector. 14 May 2008
GE to supply Merck with molecular
imaging agent for respiratory drug development
GE Healthcare has signed a non-exclusive agreement with Merck & Co., Inc. to
share Spin Signal Technology (SST) utilizing hyperpolarized Xenon 129 gas, a
molecular imaging agent that can provide high speed, quantitative imaging of
the lung using MRI. 14 May 2008
Siemens and LabCorp to co-develop
clinical diagnostic tests
Siemens Healthcare and Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp)
have announced that they are exploring possibilities to co-develop new
clinical diagnostic tests in the areas of companion diagnostics, metabolic
syndrome, oncology and diabetes. 12 May
Boston Scientific announces EU and US
approval of new pacemakers
Boston Scientific Corporation has announced US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and CE Mark approval of its Altrua family of pacemakers. 12 May 2008
Hospira acquires
point-of-care technology company Sculptor
Hospira Inc. has acquired
Sculptor Developmental Technologies, a producer of barcode systems for
medicines management. 9 May
vision4health acquires Molis lab system
from Sysmex
Swiss diagnostics software company vision4health has acquired the Molis
laboratory information system division from the Japanese Sysmex Group.
Record demand for Varian's RapidArc
radiotherapy treatment
Varian Medical Systems (NYSE: VAR) has announced it has received more than
60 orders for its new RapidArc radiotherapy product for faster image-guided
intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). 29 April 2008
St Jude awarded patent for
neurostimulation therapy for depression
St Jude Medical, Inc. has been awarded a US patent for treating depression
using neurostimulation therapy in an area of the brain known as Brodmann
Area 25. The company is also evaluating whether deep brain stimulation (DBS)
therapy can help people who suffer from major depressive disorder. 29 April
2008
Survey of medical device company business
processes and practices
FDAnews and Industry Directions Inc., in close association with research
analysis partner Cambashi Ltd, are inviting medical device manufacturers to
respond to a new survey on current industry challenges and practices. 29
April 2008
3mensio Medical Imaging receives EU
approval for vascular imaging workstation. 11 April 2008
Varian acquires x-ray crystallography
company Oxford Diffraction
Varian, Inc. has taken over UK company Oxford Diffraction Ltd, for about
US$37m, strengthening its portfolio of information-rich detection products.
8 April 2008
TomTec announces cardiology PACS
TomTec Imaging Systems, a Munich-based producer of 3D/4D ultrasound and
echocardiography information management systems, has announced it will
launch a cardiology picture archiving and communication system (PACS) in
2008. 7 April 2008
Mindray receives US clearance for portable
ultrasound system and analyzer
Mindray Medical International Limited has received US FDA clearance for its
M5 laptop-sized ultrasound imaging system and BS-200 automatic bio-chemistry
analyzer. 7 April 2008
Boston Scientific
sells endovascular aortic repair business
In a further restructuring move, Boston Scientific Corporation has sold
Boston Scientific Santa Rosa Corp to privately held TV2 Holding Company for
$30m. 7 April 2008
CardioTech sells catheter business to
Essel Propack
CardioTech International has sold its subsidiary Catheter and Disposables
Technology subsidiary to Tacpro, Inc. for about US$1.2m. Tacpro, a
subsidiary of Mumbai-based Essel Propack, specialises in catheters and
delivery systems. 1 April 2008
Chelsea and Westminster orders CT scanner via NHS Supply Chain
Framework
London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has ordered the
newly launched Somatom Definition AS and AS+ CT systems from Siemens via
the NHS Supply Chain Framework. 31 March 2008
Smiths ambulatory infusion system gains US
clearance
Smiths Medical has received US clearance for its CADD-Solis ambulatory
infusion system, a clinically and technologically advanced ambulatory
infusion platform that enhances patient safety and personalised care for
pain management patients. 31 March 2008
Stentys completes $18 million financing
for bifurcated stent production Paris-based Stentys has completed an $18
million ‘series B’ round of venture financing that will allow it to complete
clinical trials and obtain EU clearance for its drug-eluting, bifurcated
stent. 31 March 2008
French Fire Brigade buys Zoll AutoPulse
units
The French Fire Brigade has contracted with Zoll Medical Corporation (Nasdaq
GS: ZOLL) to equip all of its rescue vehicles with the AutoPulse
non-invasive cardiac support pump in a deal worth US$1.1m. 28 March 2008
Philips continues buying spree with cardiac IT company Tomcat Systems
Royal Philips Electronics has announced it will
acquire Northern Ireland-based Tomcat Systems Ltd. Tomcat is a privately
held company producing cardiovascular information systems (CVIS). 27 March 2008
NGC signs exclusive distribution deal for
Allium stents in Italy
Allium Medical Group, developer and manufacturer of non-vascular stents, has
signed an exclusive distribution deal with Italian medical device
distributor NGC Medical SpA for both its ureteral and biliary stents. 27
March 2008
WaveSense Europe launches Jazz glucose
meter in UK
The blood glucose meter is designed to help people with diabetes gain
tighter control over their blood glucose levels. 26 March 2008
Philips moving UK research labs to
Cambridge
Royal Philips Electronics is moving its UK research arm, Philips Research
UK, to the Cambridge Science Park in autumn 2008 after 60 years in Redhill,
Surrey. Its research areas will include healthcare, consumer products and
lighting. 25 March 2008
Axellis announces 'global expansion' with
three acquisitions
Axellis Ltd, a UK and US based medical technology company, has announced
three acquisitions, which it says are part of a strategy to become a
leading, global provider of specialist hardware and software solutions to
optimise treatments in oncology and cardiology. 19 March 2008
EQ2 signs UK distribution agreement with
BCAS Biomedical Engineering
Medical equipment information systems software company EQ2 has signed an
exclusive distribution agreement with BCAS Biomedical Engineering Ltd, a UK
provider of clinical equipment services. 19 March 2008
Philips completes takeover of Respironics
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE:PHG, AEX:PHI) has announced that it has
completed the acquisition of Respironics (NASDAQ:RESP), which will now
become an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Philips. 17 March 2008
Online service for companies to improve cash management
UK bank Lloyds TSB has launched a new online service that could
benefit businesses within the healthcare sector by providing 'real time'
access to some of the most competitive deposit and foreign exchange
rates on the international markets. 17 March 2008
Philips introduces pay-per-use model for
medical technology
Royal Philips Electronics has introduced a pay-per-use
approach for users of its medical technology in which it shares the risk
associated with patient examinations or patient volume. 17 March 2008
Mindray acquires Datascope's patient monitoring
business for US$240 million
Chinese company Mindray Medical International Limited is set to become the
third-largest player in the global patient monitoring device industry. The
acquisition will combine its manufacturing facilities and markets in China
with an established presence in the US and Europe. 14 March 2008
Philips announces completion of tender
offer to acquire Respironics
Royal Philips Electronics has announced the completion of the tender
to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Respironics, Inc. for
$66.00 per Respironics share. Philips held over 94% of the outstanding
shares of Respironics by the offer closure time. March 14, 2008
Adept Technology and Prosurgics
collaborate in surgical robot development
Adept Technology and Prosurgics have agreed to collaborate in the
development of the next generation of Prosurgics’ surgical robotic systems
for image-guided and navigated neurological and soft tissue surgery. 11
March 2008 3D medical imaging solutions
becoming more affordable in Europe
3D imaging has become one of the highest growth segments in the field of
medical imaging and the European 3D imaging market is expanding as
applications become increasingly affordable, according to a new report from
Frost & Sullivan. 11 March 2008
Acceleware launches CT image reconstruction solution
Acceleware Corp. has moved into the medical image processing market with the
launch the AxRecon computed tompography image reconstruction solution. It
accelerates the reconstruction of image data and improves the quality of
images without disrupting current workflow. 11 March 2008
Google and
Quest Diagnostics collaborate to provide online access to diagnostic
test results
Quest Diagnostics, a leading provider of
diagnostic testing, information and services in the US, and Google have
agreed to collaborate to facilitate communications between doctors and patients
using Google's online health record system, Google Health. 6 March 2008
3mensio receives US clearance for
vascular imaging software
3mensio Medical Imaging BV of the Netherlands has received US FDA 510(k)
clearance to market its 3surgery vascular imaging software in the US.
29 February 2008 Leica Microsystems
expands electron microscopy business
Leica Microsystems (Wetzlar) has taken over Bal-Tec AG of Liechtenstein, a
producer of instruments for sample preparation in scanning electron
microscopy. 29 February 2008 ICON acquires US clinical testing
facilities with acquisition of Healthcare Discoveries
Ireland-based ICON has acquired Healthcare Discoveries from Catalyst Pharma
Group for an initial US$12m. The acquisition gives ICON an 85-bed clinical
pharmacology testing facility in Texas. 28 February 2008
Smiths Medical to distribute Life-Tech’s
nerve-stimulating catheters
Smiths Medical will distribute the catheters as an addition to their current
line of peripheral nerve-block products. Stimulating catheters are used for
continuous peripheral nerve blocks in orthopaedic procedures to the shoulder
and knee. 28 February 2008 Agfa, InterComponentWare and Sun form
Open eHealth Foundation to boost interoperability
The ehealth market is set for explosive growth, driven by growing challenges
to healthcare systems in industrialized societies, as well as new medical
information and communication technologies. The Open eHealth Foundation will
provide software components under an Open Source license that will boost the
open standards-based exchange of medical information. 27 February 2008
Philips re-structures healthcare
informatics business
Royal Philips Electronics has restructured its
healthcare informatics businesses to include its entire portfolio of
clinical information solutions, including patient monitoring, enterprise and
clinical image management, anaesthesia information, women’s health
information, and cardiology information systems. 27 February
Touch Bionics expands in US to meet demand for prosthetic hand
Scottish company Touch Bionics, developer of the world’s first
commercially available bionic hand, has set up a US subsidiary, Touch
Bionics, Inc. to help meet the growing demand for its revolutionary
prosthetic hand. This followed the opening of a new headquarters and
manufacturing facility in Scotland in January. 27 February 2008
Chest to distribute Aerocrine airway
inflammation detector in Japan
Swedish airway products company Aerocrine AB (STO:AERO) has entered into a
distribution agreement with Chest MI Inc to market and sell Aerocrine's Niox
Mino in Japan. 20 February 2008 Medrad
and Possis Medical to merge
Bayer HealthCare affiliate Medrad, Inc and Possis Medical, Inc. have
announced that they have agreed to merge in a deal worth about US$361
million. The merger is seen as combining complementary cardiology products:
Medrad's contrast injection systems and Possis Medical's mechanical
thrombectomy devices. 18 February 2008
iSOFT expands in Russian lab systems market
iSOFT Deutschland has strengthened its position in Russia with a partnership
agreement with Moscow-based company ML Park to distribute and support
iSOFT's laboratory information system (LIS) LabCentre. 15 February 2008
Leica Microsystems acquires Cell Analysis and Life Optics
Cell Analysis develops microscope image analysis software for histopathology
while Life Optics makes head-mounted optical systems for surgery and
dentistry. 15 February 2008
Acrongenomics targets Molecular Vision's microfluidics point-of-care
diagnostics devices
Swiss technology investment group Acrongenomics, Inc., has announced an
agreement with with Molecular Vision and The Imperial Venture Fund to
acquire Molecular Vision by the end of the first quarter this year. 15
February 2008 Elekta signs brachytherapy
sales sharing agreement with Xoft
Elekta will share identified sales opportunities for Xoft's Axxent electonic
brachytherapy system in the radiation oncology market. The companies will
also explore other areas of collaboration. 8 February 2008
Medtronic partners with MediGuide to
develop surgical navigational products
MediGuide has signed an agreement with Medtronic for co-development of
medical positioning system- (MPS) enabled products. The agreement is based
on providing Medtronic products with MediGuide's GPS-like (MPS) navigation
capabilities to enhance various procedures. 8 February 2008
Axon Lab to distribute iSOFT lab system in
Switzerland
German company Axon Lab AG, a service provider for diagnostics and molecular
biology in Austria, Germany and Switzerland has become a distribution
partner for iSOFT's laboratory solution, LabCentre. 4 February 2008
Roche increases diagnostics capability
with acquisition of Ventana
Pharmaceutical and diagnostics company Roche has bought US diagnostics
company Ventana Medical Systems for about $3.4 billion. 30 January 2008
Boston Scientific gains EU approval for
new defibrillators
Boston Scientific Corporation has been awarded CE Mark approval for its
Cognis CRT defibrillator and Teligen ICD for treating heart failure and
sudden cardiac death. 30 January 2008
Sysmex and bioMérieux form joint venture for Japanese diagnostics market
Sysmex Corporation will take a 34% equity stake in bioMérieux Japan Ltd,
which will change its name to Sysmex bioMérieux Co Ltd. The new company will
market bioMérieux in-vitro diagnostics products Japan. 30 January 2008
Smiths Medical receives FDA clearance for
implantable injection system. 30 January 2008
Quidel and bioMérieux form alliance in
rapid diagnostics
Quidel Corporation and bioMérieux have formed an alliance to market products
worldwide and co-develop new rapid diagnostic tests using Quidel’s rapid
test development capability and bioMérieux’s extensive library of antibodies
and antigens. 16 January 2008 BD gains
EU and US approval for rapid MRSA test
BD Diagnostics has gained European approval for its BD GeneOhm StaphSR assay
for MRSA and SA in nasal and wound specimens and US FDA clearance to use the
test on positive blood cultures. The test can give results in two hours. 16
January 2008 Varian acquires Chinese
medical equipment distributor
Varian Medical Systems has taken over the largest independent distributor of
medical x-ray tubes in China, Pan-Pacific Enterprises, for the purpose of
marketing, sales, and distribution of Varian x-ray imaging products in
China. 16 January 2008 Elekta to acquire
oncology informatics supplier CMS
Elekta AB has announced it is in negotiations to acquire US oncology
informatics company CMS for US$75m. The negotiations are expected to be
completed by mid March 2008. 16 January 2008
US Preventive Medicine to expand into UK
US Preventive Medicine, a company that is building the first network focused
on prevention in the United States and internationally has signed a letter
of intent with iHealth UK Ltd. to jointly develop three preventive medicine
businesses in the United Kingdom. 10 January 2008
GE Healthcare and Novavax collaborate on
flu vaccine manufacturing system
The collaboration leverages GE Healthcare's bioprocess solutions and design
expertise and Novavax's virus-like particle (VLP) and manufacturing platform
to develop a pandemic influenza vaccine manufacturing solution for selected
international countries. 10 January 2008
Philips acquires Respironics for $5.1bn
Respironics, a US maker of sleep disorder devices, has agreed to a takeover
by Royal Philips Electronics (Philips) for approximately US$ 5.1 billion.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2008. 8
January 2008 Philips adds Visicu and
Emergin to patient monitoring stable
Royal Philips Electronics announced in December two US takeovers that are
expected to grow its patient-monitoring business. Emergin is a privately
held company that produces medical alarm systems while Visicu supplies
monitoring systems for ICU patients. 8 January 2008 Business news: Now
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