Mallinckrodt Names Vice President, General Manager
Mallinckrodt, St Louis, recently announced Hans Stover as its vice president and general manager of Alternate Care for Mallinckrodt Inc’s Respiratory Group. In his new role, Stover is responsible for overall strategic and operational management of the Mallinckrodt business units that serve segments of the alternate care market. These include sleep diagnostics and therapy, portable ventilation, oxygen therapy, and asthma management. Stover joined the company 9 years ago when it was Nellcor and has held a number of international and domestic marketing positions, his most recent being vice president of marketing for Alternate Care. He has been part of Mallinckrodt’s Alternate Care organization for the past 3 years and has led the marketing efforts behind the launch of seven new products in the past 9 months.
Novametrix Announces Agreement With Respironics
Novametrix Medical Systems Inc, Wallingford, Conn, recently announced that the company has signed an agreement with Respironics Inc, Pittsburgh. Respironics will market a private labeled Novametrix respiratory monitor along with a Respironics ventilator in the United States.
Novametrix developed and markets a unique stand-alone respiratory monitor called CO2SMO Plus!™, which incorporates the company’s patented carbon dioxide and airway flow sensors. Respironics will market the Novametrix product as a private labeled respiratory profile monitor with the Respironics Esprit Ventilator. Esprit, a newly developed ventilator that offers both invasive and noninvasive modes of operation, will be marketed to the United States critical care marketplace through Respironics’ direct US sales force. (800) 243-3444; www.novametrix.com; (800) 345-6443; www.respironics.com.
Ventilator Web Site
Amethyst Research, Philadelphia, introduces VentWorld.com, the premier manufacturer-neutral Web site, which provides extensive information about ventilators and mechanical ventilation. The site presents information and graphical displays for the objective comparison of major international makes and models of ventilators and accessories. The company has created a communication channel via the Internet to bring together buyers and sellers. The site also provides timely news and information of interest to all segments of the mechanical ventilator community. These segments include respiratory clinicians, patients, educators, researchers, manufacturers, distributors, after-market suppliers, and others concerned with the development and use of mechanical ventilators. VentWorld.com also provides a forum for discussions about ventilator topics and lists extensive educational, clinical, and research resources related to mechanical ventilation. Amethyst Research’s mission is to develop core technologies and synthesize bioengineering with advanced computer modeling and visualization. (888) 511-2452; www.VentWorld.com.
Mallinckrodt Announces Series of Seminars
Mallinckrodt, St Louis, recently announced a series of educational seminars designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the latest advances in pulse oximetry and the future direction of critical care medicine. The announcement was made, following the completion of pilots in Boston, Atlanta, and Chicago, at the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) conference in Orlando, Fla. The remaining six half-day seminars will be held in Los Angeles and Dallas as well as other major US markets from March through October. The educational seminars will provide a “think tank” setting, enabling attendees to participate in a discourse on the prevailing issues and advancements in pulse oximetry technology, specifically its increasing prominence and crucial importance in the critical care arena. It is expected that 700 physicians and respiratory care clinicians will attend the seminars. (800) 635-5267; www.mallinckrodt.com.
AstraZeneca Presents ALAMN With Grant
AstraZeneca, Westborough, Mass, recently presented the American Lung Association of Minnesota (ALAMN) with an $115,000 educational grant to support the Asthma Clinical Research Center Consortium of Minnesota, the Pulmonary Summercourse, the Minnesota Asthma Coalition, the Cushing Medical Lecture, and Minnesota asthma camps.
The AstraZeneca grant will establish the first annual Pulmonary Summercourse, a regional physician education course co-sponsored with the Minnesota Thoracic Society, to be held in July. In addition, the annual Cushing Medical Lecture—which in the past has drawn more than 2,000 physicians and health care professionals—will benefit from the grant support. The April 19 lecture will feature the nationally renowned Randall Brown, MD, from the University of Michigan, sharing his expertise about providing asthma education within hard-to-reach populations.
A portion of the grant will be directed toward the newly established Asthma Clinical Research Center Consortium of Minnesota, which brings together researchers from the six institutions in Minnesota to conduct clinical research along with 18 similar centers across the country. The final portion of the AstraZeneca grant has been designated to the asthma camps of Minnesota where more than 12,000 children during the past 34 years have learned how to effectively manage their disease. (651) 227-8014 or (800) 642-5864; www.alamn.org or www.healthhouse.org.
Respironics Unveils Sleep Technology
Respironics Inc, Pittsburgh, announced that it has incorporated a revolutionary new technology—Encore® SmartCard™ with FOSQ (Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire)—into its next-generation sleep therapy continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and Smart CPAP systems.
The Encore SmartCard is approximately the size of a credit card. When inserted into the side of Respironics’ sleep therapy systems, the Aria® LX and Virtuoso® LX, the SmartCard will record the patient’s therapeutic patterns of usage and the patient’s responses to a questionnaire that helps assess the effectiveness of therapy. This questionnaire was specifically designed for individuals with sleep disorders and has been clinically validated. The information recorded on the SmartCard can be transported to the patient’s physician or health care provider in various convenient manners and then downloaded to a computer for analysis. (800) 962-1266; www.respironics.com .
Datex-Ohmeda, Ohmeda Medical, and Masimo Form a Partnership
Datex-Ohmeda, Tewksbury, Mass, Ohmeda Medical, Columbia, Md, and Masimo Corp, Irvine, Calif, have formed a partnership allowing Datex-Ohmeda, Ohmeda Medical, and Datex-Ohmeda Continuing Care to distribute Masimo’s new Radical™ Signal Extraction pulse oximeter in North America. This unit will be sold as a complement to their existing wide range of neonatal, acute care, and continuing care products. Datex-Ohmeda will distribute the Radical through its North American and Continuing Care sales and distribution networks, serving customers both in and outside the hospital care settings. (800) 345-2700; www.datex-ohmeda.com; www.ohmedamedical.com; www.masimo.com.
Novametrix Completes Agreement With GE Marquette Medical Systems
Novametrix Medical Systems, Wallingford, Conn, recently announced that it has completed a $3 million private equity placement with GE Marquette Medical Systems Inc, Milwaukee. Under the terms of the agreement, Novametrix issued 250,000 units at $12 per unit with each unit consisting of two shares of common stock (500,000 shares) and a 5-year warrant to purchase one share of common stock at $7.50 per share (250,000 shares).
The companies are negotiating definitive agreements that are expected to cover the customization of Novametrix pulse oximetry sensors for GE Marquette; the development of an advanced cardiopulmonary module for GE Marquette monitors; the licensing of GE Marquette’s anesthetic agent technology for use in Novametrix products; an expanded Novametrix manufacturing role for certain GE Marquette CO2 and anesthetic gas monitoring modules; and distribution contracts for GE Marquette to represent Novametrix products in certain international markets. www.novametrix.com ; www.gemedicalsystems.com.
ResMed Improves Sleep Apnea Treatment
Resmed Inc, San Diego, announced results from a recent study showing that its AutoSet® T automated continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, in comparison with conventional CPAP therapy, significantly improved patient compliance as well as sleep quality and daily vitality. The study was conducted by Clifford Massie, PhD, and Robert Hart, MD, of Chicago, who reported that in addition to significant improvement in patient compliance, patients slept better, were less sleepy during the day, and reported increased daytime energy levels. The study was presented on March 14 at the 6th World Congress on Sleep Apnea held in Sydney, Australia. www.resmed.com.
AstraZeneca Invests in Overseas Plant
AstraZeneca, Westborough, Mass, recently announced a $94 million investment in the expansion of production capacity for its Turbuhaler dry powder inhaler located at the Snackviken plant at Sodertalje, Sweden. The new Turbuhaler facilities are scheduled to start operating at the end of 2002 and will manufacture the asthma treatments Pulmicort and Oxis as well as future products in AstraZeneca’s respiratory pipeline. The expansion of AstraZeneca’s Turbuhaler manufacturing capacity adds to the ongoing program of investments at Sodertalje of approximately $600 million, creating more than 1,000 new jobs during a 4-year period and involving a significant increase over today’s 6,100 AstraZeneca employees at Sodertalje. www.bit.se.
Mallinckrodt Expands Partnership Agreement With Premier
Mallinckrodt Inc, St. Louis, announced that it has amended its pulse oximetry contract with Premier Purchasing Partners LP to include the N-395 Pulse Oximeter in Premier’s product offering. The current oximetry agreement runs through December 31, 2004, and includes numerous Nellcor pulse oximetry monitors and products. The oximetry agreement is part of a more extensive corporate partnership in effect through 2006 that covers a wide array of respiratory and imaging products and technologies.
“We are extremely pleased to enhance our relationship with Premier by offering the N-395. We view our expanded partnership as a critical recognition and validation of our latest Nellcor pulse oximetry solution,” says Carol Farrell, vice president, US field sales.
Mallinckrodt introduced the N-395 Pulse Oximeter in October 1999. The N-395, which employs the company’s most advanced pulse oximetry technology, has received widespread customer acceptance. More than 2,500 units have been sold to date. The N-395 with Oxismart XL Advanced Signal Processing reads through challenging motion conditions, cutting through nonspecific noise to find the pulse and track true oxygen saturation and pulse rate values. The N-395 is also equipped with SatSeconds™ Revolutionary Alarm Management, a breakthrough in clinician-programmable alarm sensitivity for pulse oximetry.
Premier is a strategic alliance of leading hospitals and health care systems across the country, representing nearly 215 owners and the 800 hospitals and health care facilities they operate, and approximately 900 other affiliated hospitals.
Total annual purchasing volume for the alliance reached $12 billion in 1999. Members’ cost reduction opportunities are tied to a group purchasing program highlighted by signature group purchasing agreements offering substantial pricing discounts, value-added benefits, and rebates to owners. www.mallinckrodt.com; www.premierinc.com.
