• Amic (Uppsala, Sweden) reported receiving a non-exclusive license from Roche Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) to commercialize a point-of-care (POC) test for NT-proBNP on the European market. Financial terms of the licensing deal were not disclosed. NT-proBNP is a marker for the diagnosis and management of heart failure and risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndrome. Amic is a private POC diagnostic company with R&D and manufacturing facilities in Uppsala. The company is developing what it calls the “next generation” of POC diagnostic tests, using microfluidic technology using a molded plastic device called the 4castchip, and an optical detection system for “precise and sensitive quantification of immunoassays.” The marker-specific test cartridge contains the 4castchip in a user-friendly format for rapid analysis of whole-blood patient samples at the point of care. The Forecast Reader is a low-cost analyzer designed for operation in hospital and primary care settings, with full connectivity to laboratory information systems.

• Arbor Surgical Technologies (Irvine, California) has received a $20 million round of Series C financing. Leading the round was Medtronic (Minneapolis), which, with the financing, received an exclusive license for Arbor’s pericardial heart valve. The agreement provides Medtronic with manufacturing, marketing and distribution rights to Arbor’s advanced trilobal pericardial valve technologies. Arbor retains exclusive rights to the modular Trilogy Aortic Valve System and sutureless TRE implantation technologies. With closing of the financing, Arbor said it has raised, to date, about $54 million. John Liddicoat, VP and GM of Medtronic Structural Heart Disease, said, “We are optimistic that Arbor’s pericardial valve design combined with Medtronic’s proprietary technologies will achieve best-in-class performance.” Medtronic said the technology will complement its Structural Heart Disease therapy objectives focused on developing options for valve disease, septal defects and atrial fibrillation. It believes Arbor’s technology will facilitate the development of Medtronic’s first pericardial valve, which will complement its portfolio of porcine and mechanical heart valves. The company will continue to enhance its line of third-generation porcine valves, as well as invest in its transcatheter valve program. Medtronic said it anticipates manufacturing the valve in its existing production facilities. Steve Bacich, president/CEO of Arbor, said, “This financing event will allow us to expand clinical trials of our core technologies, the Trilogy Aortic Valve System and the sutureless TRE implantation tool. These devices are designed to enable more surgeons to perform minimally invasive heart valve procedures.”

• CV Therapeutics (Palo Alto, California) and Medlogics Device (Santa Rosa, California) reported an agreement for Medlogics to license CV Therapeutics’ proprietary biopolymer stent coating technology to develop a drug eluting stent (DES). CV Therapeutics received Medlogics stock and is entitled to development milestone payments, royalties and other payments on future sales of any products incorporating the technology. Medlogics recently received the CE mark for its Cobalt Super Alloy (COBRA) stent and said it expects to launch the stent in Europe this quarter. Medlogics expects to use CV Therapeutics’ biopolymer stent coating technology to develop a next-generation DES based on the COBRA platform. CV Therapeutics is focused on applying molecular cardiology to the development of novel, small molecule drugs for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Medlogics has vertically integrated drug eluting coating, stent and catheter research, development and manufacturing at its facility. The company said it plans to launch its COBRA stent in Europe this quarter.

• St. Jude Medical (St. Paul Minnesota) reported that it has renewed its line of product agreements with HealthTrust Purchasing Group (Brentwood, Tennessee). The renewal will extend through December 2010 all existing purchasing agreements between the parties, which cover St. Jude’s complete line of cardiac rhythm management, atrial fibrillation, cardiac surgery and cardiology products. “We are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with HealthTrust Purchasing Group and their many equity owners,” said George Fazio, president of St. Jude’s U.S. Division. “We are pleased to support both the physicians and patients who provide and receive care within all HealthTrust member hospitals during the term of this agreement.”

HealthTrust also reported signing a three-year supplier agreement with Masimo (Irvine, California). The agreement provides HealthTrust members access to Masimo SET pulse oximetry and Masimo Rainbow SET monitoring technologies. Masimo said that the addition of HealthTrust expands its GPO contracts to include all 10 of the nation’s top GPOs, allowing hospitals and other care providers access to Masimo SET and Masimo Rainbow SET technologies. HealthTrust reports supporting over 3,800 facilities including acute care hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, and alternate care sites.