• Alcon (Fort Worth, Texas) reported that the FDA has approved its Ladar6000 Excimer Laser with high-speed ablation for use in LASIK and PRK refractive surgery. With a 50% faster ablation rate than previous Ladar Vision platforms, the Ladar6000 laser significantly decreases surgical time, especially in higher refractive correction ranges, and results in less exposure of the corneal flap. The Ladar6000 laser, developed on a flexible platform to allow for future upgrades, also includes a number of enhancements that are designed to improve overall system performance, ease of use, and patient flow. The FDA also granted the industry's broadest wavefront-guided hyperopic indication for Alcon's CustomCornea procedure on both the Ladar6000 laser and the Ladar Vision 4000 System. With this approval, surgeons are able to treat hyperopia and hyperopic astigmatism in addition to the current range for myopia and myopic astigmatism.

• AngioDynamics (Queensbury, New York) reported the nationwide launch of the Morpheus CT PICC insertion kit. Use of the insertion kit allows the company's peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) to be inserted at a patient's bedside, instead of in the interventional radiology suite at the hospital, which is the current practice. The insertion kit, which has been specifically designed for interventional radiologists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and radiology technicians who perform the placement of PICCs, is now available for immediate distribution throughout the U.S. The Morpheus CT PICC is used for short and long-term peripheral access to the central venous system for intravenous therapy and power injections of contrast media. It features the dual durometer catheter shaft made of Durathane, a biocompatible and durable material that offers increased stiffness for ease of placement while also providing patient comfort

• Caliper Life Sciences (Hopkinton, Massachusetts) reported the availability of a new generation of Tablet and Active Ingredient Processing Workstations, TPW3 and APW3. The workstations are designed to perform fully automated sample preparation for common pharmaceutical development and quality assurance tests in a regulatory compliant manner. The TPW3 and APW3 increase walk-away and improve the robustness of sample preparation, which upgrades the overall quality of the analysis, the company said. The TPW3 and APW3 improve the quality of both routine and complex sample preparations, and feature completely updated hardware, software, firmware and electronics. The workstations offer precise control of technique-dependent steps; serial processing; table-top format; enhanced method flexibility; and gravimetric confirmation.