Pediatrix Medical to complete name change

Pediatrix Medical Group (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) said its previously reported name change to Mednax will be completed by Dec. 31. Each share of Pediatrix will become a share of Mednax, and will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "MD," when the U.S. securities markets open on Jan. 2.

Mednax is being organized as a holding company whose principal subsidiaries will be Pediatrix Medical Group and American Anesthesiology. Pediatrix encompasses the company's historic physician services in the neonatal, maternal-fetal, pediatric cardiology and pediatric intensive care subspecialties, as well as the company's newborn hearing screen program.

Oculus reports Nasdaq approval

Oculus Innovative Sciences (Petaluma, California), reported that it has received approval from the Nasdaq listing qualifications staff to transfer the listing of its common stock from the Nasdaq Global Market to the Nasdaq Capital Market. This is in response to a previous notification from Nasdaq when Oculus' net worth fell below minimum requirements. The transfer was effective as of the market opening on Dec. 22.

The Nasdaq Capital Market is one of the three market tier designations for Nasdaq-listed stock, and presently includes more than 500 companies. The Nasdaq Capital Market operates in substantially the same manner as the Nasdaq Global Market.

"We are pleased to remain on the Nasdaq market," said Hoji Alimi, CEO and founder of Oculus. "Based upon our discussions with market experts, we didn't see any significant trading differences between the Nasdaq Global and Nasdaq Capital markets. Our average investors' activities and portfolios remain unaffected by this transfer."

Oculus' trading symbol will remain "OCLS" and trading of the company's stock will be unaffected by the change."

Ramius seeks to replace Orthofix directors

Ramius Capital (New York) said it has filed a preliminary consent solicitation statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to solicit written requests from shareholders of Orthofix International (Boston) to call a special general meeting for the purpose of making substantial changes to the composition of Orthofix's board of directors.

In what can be described as a counter-move, Orthofix said it has filed a preliminary solicitation statement in opposition with the SEC, opposing Ramius' consent solicitation and reaffirming the board of directors' commitment to the company's strategic plan and the Blackstone spine business.

LCA-Vision rebuffs Joffe group

The LCA-Vision (Cincinnati) board strongly opposes the consent solicitation threatened by the Joffe group. The board said it believes that the company has undertaken a prudent and achievable strategic plan to return the company to profitability and that the Joffe intervention is a poorly designed effort to take control of the company.

The board further believes that the Joffe effort is an undue distraction to the company that would damage shareholder value. The board strongly encourages stockholders to refrain from taking any action regarding the Joffe group's consent solicitation until they have had the benefit of the board's recommendation and accompanying explanation.

LCA-Vision is a provider of laser vision correction services under the LasikPlus brand.

Interleukin Genetics receives NYSE notice

Interleukin Genetics (Waltham, Massachusetts) said that on Dec. 23 it received notice from the NYSE Alternext US notice indicating that the company is not in compliance with certain conditions of the Exchange's continued listing standards under Section 1003 of the company guide.

Specifically, the exchange noted the company's failure to comply with Section 1003(a)(iii) of the company guide because its stockholders' equity is less than $6 million and it has had losses from continuing operations and net losses in its five most recent fiscal years.

The company is entitled to submit a plan of compliance to the exchange by Jan. 23 advising of the actions the company has taken, or will take, that would bring it into compliance with the continued listing standards identified above by June 23, 2010.

If the exchange accepts the plan, then the company may be able to continue its listing during the plan period up to June 23, 2010, during which time the company will be subject to periodic review to determine whether it is making progress consistent with the plan.