A Medical Device Daily

Royal Philips Electronics (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and Biosense Webster (Diamond Bar, California) said they have signed an agreement to co-develop integrated products intended to simplify complex procedures to diagnose and treat cardiovascular arrhythmias.

They said the alliance will create an interface that connects Biosense Webster’s Carto Mapping and Navigation System with Philips’ integrated Allura Xper electrophysiology (EP) Lab System, as well as with Philips’ Xcelera Cardiovascular Information Solution. The interface between the Carto System and Allura Xper Integrated EP Lab is intended to reduce the amount of time required to setup and perform complex EP ablation procedures to restore normal heart rhythms, the companies said.

Ronald Tabaksblat, VP of electrophysiology for Philips, said the program will also create easier storage and retrieval of imaging data, allowing physicians to review and report from a single system. “We are committed to improving the lab environment, enabling new, more complex procedures, and integrating the EP workflow process across the complete patient care cycle,” he said.

Royal Philips develops diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring systems, energy efficient lighting solutions, personal care and home appliances, and consumer electronics.

Biosense Webster, a business of Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, New Jersey), says that it pioneered electrophysiology diagnostic catheters more than 30 years ago and continues to develop advanced diagnostic, therapeutic, and mapping tools.

In other agreements:

• Arrhythmia Research Technology (ART; Fitchburg, Massachusetts) reported that its subsidiary Micron Products (Fitchburg) has entered into a three-year supply agreement with the Molecular Diagnostics division of Osmetech (Roswell, Georgia). Micron, through its New England Molders division, will provide manufacturing services for consumables components used in Osmetech’s Opti Tube and Opti Gene product lines.

The Opti Tube product line consists of patented plastic tubes with ergonomic sealing caps and carousel designed as a replacement for the glass capillaries used in the LightCycler from Roche (Indianapolis). Opti Tube is a solution designed to eliminate the dangers of glass breakage and minimizes the risk of laboratory personnel exposure to potentially dangerous samples and glass shards.

Osmetech’s Opti Gene instrument is designed to meet the requirements of the molecular diagnostic market in the small- to medium-sized hospital for more complex molecular diagnostic tests to be performed in an easy-to-use format.

ART, through Micron, makes silver-plated and non-silver-plated conductive resin sensors and distributes metal snaps used in the manufacture of disposable ECG, EEG, EMS and TENS electrodes.

Osmetech is a diagnostics business with operations in Atlanta, Boston and Pasadena in the U.S., serving the near-patient testing market targeting small to medium sized hospitals. Osmetech has launched eSensor, an FDA cleared electrochemistry-based array system, for Cystic fibrosis carrier detection and will launch a number of pharmacogenomic assays utilizing our proprietary technology in the near future.

• Sonic Innovations (Salt Lake City, Utah) reported that it has signed a support agreement with Audigy Group (Vancouver, Washington), a hearing care management company.

Sam Westover, president/CEO of Sonic Innovations, said, “We are currently Audigy’s top supplier of hearing aids, and this agreement solidifies the relationship between us. This transaction is a key component of our strategy to expand the distribution channels for our leading-edge products and demonstrates our strong commitment to building our reputation and presence with individual private hearing healthcare providers.”

Sonic Innovations makes advanced digital hearing aids.

• Milestone Scientific (Livingston, New Jersey), a developer of advanced injection technologies, and Henry Schein (Melville, New York), a provider of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American/European markets, reported signing an agreement granting Henry Schein exclusive distribution rights to market Milestone’s Single Tooth Anesthesia system and other products to dental professionals in the U.S. and Canada.

Milestone’s STA system is designed to allow dentists to immediately administer the periodontal ligament injection, to anesthetize a single tooth, without first administering a mandibular block that anesthetizes an entire quadrant of the jaw. The periodontal ligament injection is highly valued among dentists and the Milestone system allows the periodontal ligament injection to be more efficiently administered, while avoiding collateral numbing of the cheek, lips and jaw.

The STA system uses Milestone’s patented CompuFlo pressure sensing technology to provide the dentist with valuable information on the pressures created in the tissue being injected. The patented CompuFlo technology is believed to have broad applications in medicine and dentistry and STA system is the first commercial application using this advanced, real time pressure sensing technology.