A Medical Device Daily

Given Imaging (Yoqneam, Israel), a leader in capsule endoscopy, and Fujinon (Saitama City, Japan), a developer of optical technologies and endoscopic equipment, reported signing 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.

The agreement grants Fujinon nonexclusive rights to distribute Given's equipment and small bowel products, including its RAPID workstation and data recorders, PillCam SB, and Agile Patency capsules in certain countries worldwide, determined by the companies "on a case-by-case basis," they said.

Homi Shamir, president/CEO of Given, said, "Together with Fujinon, we will work to develop the next generation of less-invasive gastrointestinal products, leveraging on the combined resources and technologies of both companies to provide more effective treatment options for patients with gastrointestinal disorders."

Takeshi Higuchi, representative director and president of Fujinon, said, "Being able to offer Given's capsule endoscopy products alongside our own product portfolio gives our customers a powerful set of diagnostic and therapeutic tools and solidifies our position as the leading provider of GI Imaging solutions."

Given's technology platform is the PillCam Platform, featuring the PillCam video capsule.

Fujinon says it has "continually developed" as an optical equipment manufacturer of Fujifilm Group.

In other agreements:

• Caprius (Hackensack, New Jersey) said its subsidiary, M.C.M. Environmental Technologies (also Hackensack), has entered into a five-year nonexclusive distribution agreement with McKesson Medical-Surgical (Richmond, Virginia), a business unit of McKesson (San Francisco) and a provider of healthcare products and services to surgical centers, granting McKesson distribution rights to market MCM's SteriMed systems for on-site medical waste processing to ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) in the U.S.

MCM says that its SteriMed systems process all regulated medical waste generated by surgical centers, including red bag waste, suction canisters and intact sharps containers. These units shred the waste and mix it with a proprietary disinfectant, rendering it "unrecognizable and disinfected," and dispose of it as regular waste.

MCM says its patented technology offers an alternative to hauling and incinerating medical waste.

• Phase Forward (Waltham, Massachusetts), a provider of data management solutions for clinical trials and drug safety, reported that Quintiles Transnational (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina), a global leader in pharmaceutical services, has signed a multi-year license agreement to extend its use of Phase Forward's InForm electronic data capture solution for clinical trials.

Phase Forward's InForm solution has been used in nearly 90% of all Quintiles EDC trials to date, and will continue to be a technology on which Quintiles provides services to its customers.

The two companies' relationship dates to 1999, when Quintiles initially selected the InForm software to enhance the speed and quality of the clinical trial research process.

• Premier Purchasing Partners (Charlotte, North Carolina), 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 are effective May 1 and offer discounted pricing for electroencephalograph (EEG), electromyograph (EMG) and evoked potential (EP) diagnostic and monitoring systems for acute-care and continuum-of-care members of the Premier alliance.