XTend Medical (Sun Valley, California) said it has begun a remote diabetic monitoring program and expects 500 patients to be part of it.

The program, facilitated through local physicians in Southern California, will remotely monitor diabetic patients through the XTend Medical Disease Management Program.

The patients will be able to take their glucose readings and transmit the results to the participating physicians via the Eocene transmitter, the company said. Once the glucose meter is cradled to Eocene unit, the plug-in system uses a standard phone line to send the encrypted patient data to a central server for review by the physician.

Once the data is reviewed by the physician, any adjustments in medication, compliance with testing, and any necessary follow-up visits can be relayed immediately to the patient, according to XTend.

“This remote diabetic monitoring program is nothing short of groundbreaking for the company and the medical community. Our system is designed for physicians to be able to closely monitor diabetic patients from their office while the patients maintain their regular daily lives in their own homes. The patient’s data can be securely monitored and any adjustments can be made instantaneously through direct communication with the patient from a remote location,” said Paul Lisenby, CEO of XTend.

“XTend Medical is now poised to implement this system nationwide to any healthcare company looking to remotely monitor their diabetic patients. Our ability to implement the system very rapidly is now in place. Our revenue projections for 2008 should be attainable now that we’ve set this program in motion.”

XTend sells healthcare and wellness products to hospitals, managed care companies, nursing homes, physician groups and individual patients.

In other new ventures:

• Signalife (Los Angeles) reported that it has established a division to develop, acquire, or test therapies intended to treat cardiovascular disease at an earlier state and in what the company calls a “more effective manner.”

From experience with the deployment of its Fidelity 100 Heart Monitor – including use of the device at this year’s Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona – Signalife said it has learned “significant details” regarding the relationship between earlier and more accurate cardiovascular monitoring, on the one hand, and effective cardiovascular treatment-oriented technologies, on the other.

Lowell Harmison, president/CEO of Signalife, said, “Through the use of our suite of heart monitoring devices and technologies ... it is time to assist in moving the treatment of cardiovascular disease to earlier, less invasive and more predictable methodologies.”

The company said it has established Signalcare as a division for now and will evaluate placing it into a subsidiary after developments and relationships have materialized or have become formalized.

Signalife is focused on the monitoring, detection and prevention of disease through continuous biomedical signal monitoring.