A Medical Device Daily

Simulations Plus (Lancaster, California), a provider of software for pharmaceutical discovery and development, said it has received a purchase order from the FDA to renew one of the licenses for the company's GastroPlus simulation software and to add the ADMET Predictor Module for GastroPlus.

"This is one of several GastroPlus licenses the FDA has, and it's the first renewal that comes up this year," said Ron Creeley, VP of marketing and sales for Simulations Plus. "With this license renewal, the scientists using GastroPlus requested and got approved an addition to their original license, our new ADMET Predictor Module. This module will allow FDA scientists to load molecular structures directly into GastroPlus, which will then automatically invoke the ADMET Predictor Module to calculate the inputs needed by GastroPlus to simulate absorption for each of the molecules. The ADMET Predictor Module calculates these properties from molecular structure with the same top-rated structure-to-property prediction engine used in our full-version ADMET Predictor program, providing best-in-class estimates for physicochemical and biopharmaceutical properties for each molecule."

Simulations Plus develops drug discovery and development software, which is licensed to and used in the conduct of drug research by pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and drug delivery companies worldwide.

In other contract news: Flexpoint Sensor Systems (Draper, Utah) said it has received an initial order and $100,000 payment for 600 sensors to be used in the production of 20 medical beds from R&D Products (location). Flexpoint will manufacture sensors for this initial order and anticipates completing the shipment in the next few weeks.

Flexpoint said the beds will be delivered to a research university and a major medical bed manufacturer and distributor for study, testing and further evaluation.

R&D's medical bed is designed to alleviate bedsores or pressure sores, an injury to the skin and underlying tissue caused by unrelieved, sustained pressure. Persistent pressure on the skin cuts off circulation and eventually causes cell death, breakdown of the skin, and an open sore. The sores are very common and if they become infected are potentially fatal, according to R&D.

The R&D bed consists of multiple air chambers, fully integrated with Flexpoint's Bend Sensors, designed to monitor areas of greatest load and communicate with the integrated computer to inflate or deflate the chambers thus minimizing and relocating the pressure to other areas. Each bed integrates about 30 sensors in the air chambers, with the ability to monitor, move, and adjust the patient in the bed.