A Diagnostics & Imaging Week

Celera (Alameda, California) and Abbott (Abbott Park, Illinois) reported a revision of the strategic alliance agreement between the companies.

Under a new distribution agreement, Abbott will exclusively distribute certain molecular diagnostic products manufactured by Celera. Under a second agreement, Celera will receive royalties on the sale of m2000 reagents, instruments, service and related consumables, and Abbott will receive royalties on certain Celera genetic tests.

The companies also will pay each other royalties on any newly developed products for the m2000 instrument.

The agreements were effective as of Oct. 1, and replace the existing profit–sharing arrangement between the companies, which began in June 2002 and was restated in January 2006.

The new distribution agreement has an initial term of five years, with the potential for two consecutive two–year renewal periods thereafter. The new royalty agreement expires in September 2017. Additional financial terms were not disclosed.

The agreements have been structured to capture the equal sharing of value between the companies in the Celera/Abbott strategic alliance agreement and provide more flexibility for Celera and Abbott to develop and commercialize products than existed under the alliance.

Under the new agreements, the companies will no longer share R&D and SG&A expenses as provided in the alliance relationship. The impact of these changes will continue to be reflected in the financial performance in Celera's Products Business segment.

"We've been pleased with our relationship with Abbott as we've built a successful market position in molecular diagnostics over the past six years," said Kathy Ordo ez, CEO of Celera. "Moreover, we believe the new arrangements will provide greater financial clarity for Celera's investors."

In other agreements, AirStrip Technologies (San Antonio) and Clinical Computer Systems (CCS; Elgin, Illinois) reported an agreement that will pair CCS's OBIX Perinatal Data System with AirStrip's signature application, AirStrip OB.

As a provider of virtual real–time, remote patient monitoring software, AirStrip is a provider of mobility applications that capture patient data and securely deliver that data to a physician's handheld, convergent device such as an iPhone.

AirStrip OB sends waveform data for both the mother and baby directly from the hospital's labor and delivery unit to a physician's mobile device. Doctors can access this vital information anytime and anywhere they have a cell–phone connection. AirStrip OB support for the iPhone and BlackBerry is due to be released within the next month.

The OBIX Perinatal Data System is a computerized system for central, bedside and remote electronic fetal monitoring (EFM), including iarchiving, point–of–care charting and Internet–based, remote physician access. The OBIX System's exclusive E–Tools for EFM Assessment provide decision support helping clinicians to improve their practice, educate their staff and promote patient safety in electronic fetal monitoring.

The AirStrip/CCS pairing will deliver mobile, virtual–real–time access to patient data for enhanced obstetrical data management, increasing the ability of physicians to monitor patients. AirStrip and CCS will offer AirStrip OB as part of a suite of services to both current and prospective users of the OBIX system.

Kim Sell, president of CCS, said, "By joining forces with AirStrip, we reinforce our commitment to the connectivity of our customers to vital clinical data, anytime, anywhere and offer caregivers the ability to greatly improve their communication and monitoring capabilities. Together, AirStrip OB and OBIX provide an enhanced system that ultimately seeks to improve patient outcomes."