A Medical Device Daily

OrbusNeich (Hong Kong) reported that it has received approval from the Taiwan Department of Health to market the Genous Bio-engineered R stent in that country.

The Genous stent is coated with an antibody to capture a patient's endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) circulating in the bloodstream. The company said that when attracted to the inner surface of the Genous stent, EPCs have been shown to quickly form a healthy layer of endothelium that minimizes stent restenosis and provides protection against stent thrombosis.

OrbusNeich Chairman Teddy Chien said, "The introduction of our pro-healing stent to the Taiwanese market is an important step for our company as we expand our presence in the Asia-Pacific region. Based on our interaction with Taiwanese physicians, we expect strong Genous sales from the outset because of the demand for safe alternatives to drug-eluting stents."

The company said an estimated 20,000 coronary angioplasty procedures will be performed in Taiwan in 2008, 60% of which are expected to involve the use of drug-eluting or drug-coated stents.

"We are pleased to have Genous stents become available in Taiwan," said Jui-Sung Hung, MD, founding president of the Taiwan Society of Cardiovascular Interventions. "Preliminary studies have shown that the use of Genous stents is as safe and effective as Taxus DES, and more importantly, that the stent thrombosis rate at 12 months is lower with the Genous. I believe Genous will be a good treatment option for patients who cannot undergo long-term dual antiplatelet therapy or patients who have increased risk of thrombotic events."

OrbusNeich supplies products to interventional cardiologists in more than 60 countries from a product portfolio that includes stents, balloons and guiding catheters marketed under the names of Blazer, R stent, Sapphire, Avita, Avita HP, SafeCut, Lumina and Saffron.

Big DR contract in India for IDC

IDC (Imaging Dynamics; Calgary, Alberta), a leading firm in the rapidly growing global market for digital radiography (DR), said it has been awarded a contract by the central purchasing unit for medical hospitals in Uttrakahand, India, for five X-Series 1600 DR systems with X4C imaging detectors.

The company said this is the single largest purchase ever placed for DR equipment by a governmental unit in India and represents "an active commitment to upgrade patient care throughout the country."

IDC's regional distribution partner, Cura Medical Equipment, will manage installation and ongoing support of the sites. That firm's national manager of sales, Ravi Srinivasan, said, "The Uttrakahand Department of Health and Family Welfare was rigorous and comprehensive in its evaluation of imaging technology options. Value and performance drove the government's decision to take this bold step into the emerging DR market."

He added that the contract is "a significant milestone for Cura, IDC and the government of Uttrakahand and we are [pleased] to be a partner in this achievement."

The X-Series 1600 uses IDC's Very High Density (VHD), CCD-based technology that is the result of more than 10 years of engineering research and development. It is the third generation of what the company termed "the most commercially successful digital radiography system in the world, with installations in 38 countries."

Commenting on the contract, IDC President & CEO Tom Boon said, "Despite strident competition from several multinational [companies], IDC's ... VHD CCD-based detector technology was chosen ahead of flat-panel technology for its technical advantages, low cost of ownership and superior value."

Collaborative effort set up on IT products

Open Health Tools (OHT; Asheville, North Carolina) has reported a collaborative effort among national health agencies, government-funded organizations and agencies, major healthcare providers, international standards organizations and companies from Australia, Canada, the UK and the U.S. to develop common healthcare IT products and services.

OHT is a collaborative organization comprised of standards organizations, academia, national health systems, the open source community, vendors and IT professionals. Its mission is to provide software tools and components that will accelerate the implementation of electronic health information interoperability platforms, which improve patient quality of care, safety and access to electronic health records (EHR).

OHT will focus on the requirements, design and development of enabling tools and components, with the results to be made available under an open source agreement so anyone may utilize them to provision interoperable healthcare platforms that will link clinics, hospitals, pharmacies and other points of care to make the healthcare system more efficient, according to the organization.

Skip McGaughey, executive director, said, "Advancements in medical procedures and patient care have changed the way the world views health and wellness. However, modern healthcare information technology has not kept pace with the complexity of today's healthcare systems. There is a critical need for interoperability between healthcare systems and the consistent and seamless exchange of accurate data."

Early user for MBI Apollo 100 STAR

Microchip Biotechnologies (MBI; Dublin, California) said the Canadian Center for DNA Barcoding (CCDB), at the University of Guelph's (Guelph, Ontario) Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, will be the first participant to join the company's early access program for the Apollo 100 STAR System.

The company said the Apollo 100 STAR is "the first fully automated and integrated system for DNA sample preparation for sequencing." The system incorporates MBI's MOV (Microscale-On-Chip-Valve) technology, exclusively licensed from the University of California.

DNA sample preparation is a time-consuming process performed prior to DNA sequencing. There are numerous manual stages that use costly reagents and are subject to human error. Microchip Biotechnologies said the Apollo 100 STAR automatically performs DNA cycle sequencing and bead-based cleanup on microchips, which significantly reduces labor, costly reagent consumption and potential errors in sample processing.