Delcath gets NASDAQ notice

Delcath Systems (Stamford, Connecticut) reported that followihg the recent resignations of two independent directors, NASDAQ said it is no longer in compliance with NASDAQ rules requiring it to have a majority of independent directors and requiring its audit committee to have three members. NASDAQ has provided the company a cure period in order to regain compliance as follows: until the earlier of April 16, 2008; or if the next annual shareholders' meeting is held before Oct. 13, then the company must show compliance by Oct. 13, 2007.

Richard Taney, CEO of Delcath, said, "We intend to regain compliance as soon as is practicable. We are in the process of identifying director candidates who possess qualifications that will satisfy both the independence and the audit committee financial expert requirements."

Delcath makes percutaneous perfusion technology for organ or region-specific delivery of therapeutic and chemotherapeutic agents.

Cardinal Health to integrate RFID in California

Cardinal Health (Dublin, Ohio) reported that it will integrate radio frequency identification (RFID) technology into the operations of its Sacramento, California pharmaceutical distribution center by Fall 2007, to prepare for California's pedigree legislation that will require all drugs distributed within the state to be tracked and traced as they move throughout the supply chain.

The announcement comes just months after Cardinal Health shared the results of its RFID pilot program, which was the health-care industry's first end-to-end test of RFID in a real-world setting. Data collected from the pilot confirmed that RFID technology using UHF as a single frequency is a feasible solution to track and trace the possession of pharmaceuticals at the unit, case and pallet levels. The pilot also confirmed that RFID technology offers significant promise to provide an added layer of safety within the pharmaceutical supply chain, by enabling item-level pedigrees to be tracked and traced as they pass from manufacturer to wholesaler to pharmacy.

BioLife relocates HQ

BioLife Solutions (Bothell, Washington), a manufacturer of proprietary liquid preservation media for cells, tissues, and organs, reported completing the relocation of its corporate office and operations, except production, to a biotech campus in Bothell, a suburb of Seattle.

CEO Mike Rice said, "[T]his move allows us to better serve all of our customers and enhance collaborations with leading research centers, including the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center."

BioLife's preservation media products will continue to be produced in Owego, New York. The company said it is evaluating several contract manufacturers to augment production to meet future demand.

PURE Bioscience expands facility

PURE Bioscience (San Diego) reported the completion of a facility expansion. The elements of the expansion include: (1) significantly increased capacity for production and blending of PURE's silver dihydrogen citrate (SDC) antimicrobial; (2) a new automated packaging operation; and (3) establishment of a dedicated GMP suite for future production of SDC as an active pharmaceutical ingredient.

The expansion increases PURE's production capacity for SDC concentrate from about $11 million a year to more than $250 million a year. PURE designed and implemented a new modular production system that can be phased up to maximum capacity within 30 days.