A Medical Device Daily

Biosense Webster (Diamond Bar, California) a developer of cardiac mapping and ablation technology, and Medtronic (Minneapolis) reported plans to collaborate on a clinical trial, educational initiatives and a product development program, all aimed at advancing the care of patients with cardiac arrhythmias.

The initiative was designed to coincide with the start of Heart Rhythm 2007, the 28th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Heart Rhythm Society (Washington) in Denver May 9-12.

"This new strategic alliance will leverage the unique resources and technologies of the two companies together, and will benefit the millions of patients who suffer from cardiac arrhythmias around the world," said Roy Tanaka, president of Biosense Webster, a business of Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, New Jersey).

The companies said they plan to collaborate on three key areas of interest: a clinical trial, a technology development initiative and educational programs. They said they will design the clinical trial to "create a new care pathway" for identifying candidates most likely to have a successful ablation treatment outcome and increase the acceptance of ablation therapy.

Steve Mahle, president of Medtronic's Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management business, said the collaboration "will begin by bringing the unique competencies of imaging and navigation together with diagnostics and monitoring in an effort to improve the electrophysiologist's capability in identifying and treating patients."

The companies said they will integrate specific technologies to provide novel, new solutions for the treatment of complex cardiac arrhythmias.

In other agreement news:

• Royal Philips Electronics (Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and healthcare IT provider Misys Healthcare Systems (Raleigh, North Carolina) said they will join forces to develop an integrated software platform that enables homecare agencies to provide care to chronically ill patients, while achieving operational efficiencies in monitoring and managing their patients.

The companies will combine Philips' experience in telehealth and remote patient monitoring with Misys' expertise in clinical and business software for U.S. homecare. They offer integration of vital signs data and health status information into the patient record, providing a comprehensive clinical review application than currently available. The goal is to provide a solution that helps homecare agencies reduce hospital readmissions and healthcare costs associated with chronic disease.

"Telemonitoring, in conjunction with early intervention and self-care education, can extend the reach of care and improve patients' quality of life," said Mike Lemnitzer, senior director, Philips Consumer Healthcare Solutions. "Studies have shown that remote monitoring can lead to significant reductions in unnecessary readmissions and emergency hospitalizations, helping ease the burden of rising healthcare costs due to chronic disease.¹"

"Misys is focused on providing cost-effective solutions for the home healthcare market. By providing a better way to monitor and manage home-bound patients and schedule clinical staff, we can help homecare agencies improve both productivity and patient care," said Jeneane Brian, clinical strategy executive for Misys.

Philips and Misys will also be co-marketing their existing products in the homecare market, Philips remote patient monitoring and Misys Homecare integrated clinical solution.