• AccuVein (Cold Springs Harbor, New York) reported the launch of AccuVein AV300, a hand-held, non-contact vein illumination device that helps healthcare professionals locate hard-to-find veins. Detecting and highlighting hemoglobin, the AV300 scans up to 8mm below the skin's surface to help locate peripheral veins normally used for venipuncture. The device projects a pattern of light on a patient's skin, revealing vein position to help the healthcare professional locate veins for access. Weighing 10 ounces, the AV300 uses point-and-click technology the healthcare professional simply presses a button and positions the device above the patient's skin to display a map on the skin of underlying veins. With a range of hands-free options, the AV300 can quickly switch between a hand-held and hands-free mode, freeing the practitioner's hands to perform the venipuncture.

• Biopure (Cambridge, Massachusetts) said the FDA advised the Naval Medical Research Center (NMRC) by letter that it may not initiate a clinical trial of Hemopure (hemoglobin glutamer – 250 [bovine]), the company's oxygen therapeutic, under a proposed protocol submitted to the FDA in March. The proposed trial, first submitted in 2005, was placed on clinical hold and each repeated resubmission, including the most recent, also was placed on hold. The NMRC also has developed and submitted a protocol for a trial to be conducted in the field, which also has been placed on hold, with the company not expecting to proceed in the forseeable future. Biopure said it expects the NMRC to seek FDA approval for a trial of Hemopure with a concomitant drug to address vasoactivity, and the NMRC and the FDA are in discussions for such a trial.

• Generex Biotechnology (Worcester, Massachusetts) reported the launch of commercial retail sales of Generex Oral-lyn in Lebanon. Generex Oral-lyn, Generex's oral insulin spray product, is the first non-injectable insulin approved in Lebanon. Generex Oral-lyn is delivered via the company's proprietary RapidMist device into the mouth. Unlike inhaled insulin products, buccally absorbed Generex Oral-lyn does not reach the lungs. The product has been approved for importation and commercial marketing and sale in Lebanon by the Ministry of Public Health, and will be marketed and sold for the treatment of patients with Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes in Lebanon.

• LightLab Imaging (Westford, Massachusetts) reported the launch of the C7XR FD-OCT Imaging System with the C7 Dragonfly Imaging Catheter. The C7XR FD-OCT Imaging System and C7 Dragonfly Imaging Catheter enables micron level resolution imaging of the coronary artery with the capability to scan a 40mm artery segment in less than 3 seconds with a single non-occlusive catheter.

• Neovasc (Vancouver, British Columbia) reported top-line positive preliminary results from the follow-up phase of a clinical trial of its Neovasc Reducer for the treatment of refractory angina. The data shows that after three years, the majority of patients implanted with the Reducer device continue to show measurable improvement in angina symptoms and safety continues to be excellent. The Neovasc Reducer is implanted in the coronary sinus vein. By altering the pattern of blood flow perfusing the heart, the Reducer is intended to provide relief of refractory angina symptoms. Implantation of the Reducer is performed using a minimally invasive percutaneous procedure that is similar to implanting a coronary stent and takes approximately 20 minutes.