• Abbott Laboratories (Abbott Park, Illinois) signed a group purchasing agreement with Premier (San Diego) for a broad array of the company’s diagnostic products. The three-year contract covers all of Abbott’s immunochemistry analyzers, reagents and accessories, as well as all CELL-DYN Hematology analyzers, products and service. Abbott said that the contract represents potential sales to Premier Purchasing Products members in excess of $300 million over three years.

• Accuray (Sunnyvale, California), focused on the field of radiosurgery, signed a co-marketing/distribution agreement with Siemens Medical Solutions USA (Malvern, Pennsylvania), enabling Accuray to integrate its CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System and RoboCouch Patient Positioning System with a Siemens SOMATOM computed tomography (CT) scanner with a sliding gantry configuration. The combination enhances visibility of internal structures at the time of treatment, according to the companies.

• Cepheid (Sunnyvale, California), a molecular diagnostics company, reported a nonexclusive agreement with VWR International (West Chester, Pennsylvania), a distributor of scientific equipment, supplies, chemicals and furniture, to distribute Cepheid Industrial life science products in the U.S. The agreement expands Cepheid's Industrial market reach in the U.S. by extending its domestic sales channel to reach more government, academic and biotechnology laboratories working with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. VWR will distribute Cepheid's SmartCycler instrument system, SmartMix HM master mix, and associated accessories in the U.S. The SmartCycler system is a real-time PCR testing platform for genetic analysis and detection with up to 96 individually programmable reaction sites. The SmartMix HM product is a master mix in Cepheid's bead format. In an easy-to-use 2.6mm bead, it provides all necessary reagents to perform PCR.

• Cytyc (Marlborough, Massachusetts), a provider of surgical and diagnostic products, reported a new multi-year agreement with Quest Diagnostics (Lyndhurst, New Jersey) for the ThinPrep Pap Test, running through the end of 2010. Quest also agreed to evaluate the ThinPrep Imaging System at selected laboratory sites.

• Enpath Medical (Plymouth, Minnesota) said it extended its supply agreement for introducers with Medtronic (Minneapolis) for another five years. The agreement relates to standard lead introducer procedural kits, a key component of Enpath’s revenue stream, according to the company.

• Given Imaging (Yoqneam, Israel), a leader in capsule endoscopy, and Fujinon (Saitama City, Japan), a developer of optical technologies and endoscopic equipment, reported an agreement to collaborate in R&D, component sourcing, marketing and product distribution worldwide, except in Japan. The companies will collaborate to develop future products for the gastrointestinal endoscopy and diagnostic field. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.

• Meretek Diagnostics (Lafayette, Colorado), maker of the BreathTek UBT urea breath test for the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), has signed a testing services agreement with Pathology Associates Medical Laboratories (PAML; Spokane, Washington). PAML will provide testing services for Meretek’s BreathTek UBT urea breath test. BreathTek UBT is a non-radioactive, noninvasive, 95% sensitive and specific solution to diagnose and monitor treatment of active H. pylori infection, the leading cause of peptic ulcers.

• Premier Purchasing Partners (San Diego), a group purchasing organization, reported that new agreements for neurological equipment and related products have been awarded to Bio-logic Systems (Mundelein, Illinois); Cadwell Laboratories (Kennewick, Washington); Nihon Kohden America (Foothill Ranch, California); and Viasys NeuroCare (Madison, Wisconsin). The 36-month agreements offer discounted pricing for electroencephalograph, electromyograph and evoked potential diagnostic and monitoring systems for acute-care and continuum-of-care members of the Premier alliance.

• Viking Systems (San Diego), maker of high-performance laparoscopic vision systems for use in minimally invasive surgical procedures, said it has expanded its domestic distribution network in the United States in a partnership agreement with Northeastern Imaging (Westport, Massachusetts) to distribute Viking’s 3-D technology in several northeastern states.

• Welch Allyn (Skaneateles Falls, New York) said it has entered into a technology integration agreement with Oridion (Jerusalem), a company that makes products for ventilation patient monitoring. The Welch Allyn family of electronic vital signs monitoring devices will be allowed to integrate Oridion’s Microstream branded capnography boards and accessories, which are used to monitor end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2) non-invasively in patients.