• Baxter Healthcare (Deerfield, Illinois) reported results of a Phase I study that evaluated pulmonary insulin produced with Baxter's Promaxx microsphere technology and administered using a small, standard dry powder inhaler. The study demonstrates that the insulin powder can be effectively administered to the deep lung using an off-the-shelf dry powder inhaler designed for upper airway drug delivery. Each study subject received in randomized fashion a single dose of 10 International Units of insulin through subcutaneous injection (SC) in one period, and 6.5 milligrams of the inhaled insulin microspheres, called recombinant human insulin inhalation powder (RHIIP) in the other period. Study data show that RHIIP had a faster onset of action than SC. The bioavailability of RHIIP relative to SC was more than 12%. Baxter Healthcare, a subsidiary of Baxter International, makes products to assist treatment of complex medical conditions including hemophilia, immune disorders, kidney disease, cancer, trauma and other conditions.

• Cambridge Endo (Framingham, Massachusetts) reported the development of the first full-line of fully articulating hand-held instruments for laparoscopic surgeons: Autonomy Laparo-Angle Instrumentation. Cambridge Endo's 5 mm instrument line includes the Autonomy Laparo- Angle Needle Holder, Metzenbaum Scissors, Maryland Dissector, and Electrosurgery Hook. Designed to be used with existing standard trocars, Autonomy allows the surgeon to use the instrument without changing the procedure. Their angle locking mechanism allows surgeons to lock the angle of articulation when performing a task, while the axial rotation knob allows rotation of the tip at that angle. Cambridge Endo makes hand-held instruments that advance least invasive surgery.

• Draeger Medical (Telford, Pennsylvania) reported the launch of its newest ventilator, the Carinahome, into the U.S. market. The Carinahome's design enables caregivers to support patients' ongoing conditions away from clinical settings. The Carinahome, with its pressure- and volume-oriented modes, has proven itself equally effective in and out of the clinical environment, and presents both professional and non-medical caregivers with their own interfaces. The user interface concept means that while a full-access interface is available, showing both pressure and flow curves, a dedicated patient-friendly screen enables patients to adjust pre-determined settings according to their personal needs. Draeger Medical makes products assisting emergency, perioperative, critical, perinatal, and home care.

• Micell Technologies (Raleigh, North Carolina) reported that it will be presenting data on use of its supercritical fluid (SCF) surface modification technology for drug-eluting stents at the upcoming Society for Biomaterials 2007 annual meeting. The abstracts describe use of Micell and PNNL's e-RESS technology used to create drug-eluting stents containing crystalline drugs, such as sirolimus, and multiple drug combinations such as paclitaxel and heparin. e-RESS (e for electrostatic, RESS for rapid expansion from supercritical solution) is a new technology for creating drug-eluting materials for cardiovascular stents and other medical devices. This technology has the potential to provide improvements to conventional solvent-based systems by maintaining control of drug morphology, targeting drug placement within the coating and customizing elution rates of single or multiple drugs. In addition, the SCF method avoids solvents and high temperatures so it can be used with new therapeutic classes, such as proteins or genes, in addition to existing therapeutic agents. Micell Technologies is a privately held, early-stage biomedical company dedicated to applying its surface and polymer modification technologies for improved patient benefits and accelerated product development for medical device and drug delivery applications.