• Baxter Healthcare (Deerfield, Illinois) reported that it has received approval from FDA for its new Aviva line of intravenous solutions and will begin a “limited launch“ of the line in 2H06. Aviva containers are made of non-PVC (non-polyvinyl chloride) film, contain no latex and offer a DEHP-free [di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-free] fluid pathway to patients. The Aviva container line, which features Baxter's EnlightenedHRBC bar code, includes common and widely used intravenous (IV) solutions, complemented by non-DEHP IV administration sets. Products packaged in Aviva containers will initially be available to a limited number of pilot center sites for specialty use, the company said. Baxter will be conducting a targeted launch with a select group of customers in 2006 and anticipates broader availability of the product line in 2007. Baxter Healthcare Corporation is the principal U.S. operating subsidiary of Baxter International.

• etrials Worldwide (Morrisville, South Carolina), an eClinical software and services company, reported the availability of its etrials Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS). etrials said the CTMS system improves the effectiveness of clinical studies by providing pharmaceutical, biotech and contract research organizations with logistical tools to manage clinical studies. CTMS provides users with access to data via standard and customizable reports to best manage sites and project team staff. The system also provides automated alerts, monitoring report templates, grant payment management and flexibility in granting user access to data which can be limited to a single project or site. The included maintenance module allows users to configure the software for specific clients, projects and sites. The new CTMS system was developed based on a technology acquired from Quintiles Transnational in April 2005.

• Implant Sciences (Wakefield, Massachusetts), a manufacturer and marketer of products for national security, medicine and industry, said it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its fifth patent in the field of explosives detection technology. The patent, entitled “Flashed Vapor Sampling for a Trace Chemical Detector,“ covers a heating methodology used in connection with trace explosives and toxic substances detection. The proprietary sampling technology increases the emission of vapors from a target, an explosives substance for example, using a pulsed light source. The pulsed light has the benefit of increasing emissions, and may also “have the advantage of conserving energy and reducing the likelihood of overheating the target surface,“ according to the company. This pulsed light source has the further advantage of rapidly warming the target surface which should enhance the concentration of trace explosives in the vapors emitted and sampled.

• Smith & Nephew Endoscopy (Andover, Massachusetts) reported the launch of its Hip Positioning System designed to enable a surgeon to access and treat the hip joint using arthroscopic techniques. Most surgeons who perform hip arthroscopy must use fracture tables, the type used during open surgery to repair broken hips or replace worn out joints, cumbersome to assemble and costly to buy and maintain, according to S&N. the company said that its Hip Positioning System, which attaches to most standard operating room tables, is designed to gently and slightly separate the joint, creating space for the surgeon to work.