• Biologic Systems (Mundelein, Illinois), a maker of computerized medical electrodiagnostic equipment and disposables, reported the signing of a new agreement with Premier Purchasing Partners (San Diego), the group purchasing division of Premier. Under this multi-source agreement, effective from Sept. 1, 2005, through April 30, 2007, Bio-logic will offer its full line of auditory products and related accessories to Premier’s affiliated hospital and healthcare systems.

• Cord Blood America (Los Angeles), an umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company, reported a further advance in the development of its adult stem cell practice by entering into an agreement with Bio-Matrix Scientific Group (San Diego) for the purpose of marketing Bio-Matrix services throughout the U.S.

• Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems (Foxborough, Massachusetts) and Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island) said they have signed a collaborative research and licensing agreement that would give certain neuroscience researchers at Brown access to “commercially valuable” clinical research data provided by Cyberkinetics. The agreement will support further basic neuroscientific research that could lead to additional inventions, the company said.

• Haemonetics (Braintree, Massachusetts), a manufacturer of automated blood-processing systems, said it would end its distribution agreement with Zimmer Holdings (Warsaw, Indiana) early next year and sell its OrthoPAT surgical blood salvage system through its direct sales force in the U.S. The company said direct sales of the OrthoPAT system would allow it to better control product positioning and the sales process and to invest in marketing initiatives that will support continued OrthoPAT revenue growth. The OrthoPAT surgical blood salvage technology allows surgeons to recover blood lost by orthopedic patients during or after surgeries so the blood can be transfused back to the patient. The system has been sold in the U.S. by Zimmer Orthopedic Surgical Products for the past five years and is sold directly by Haemonetics in Europe and Asia. Zimmer will continue to sell the orthoPAT system in the U.S. through the end of February 2006. Zimmer said it would pursue internal and external development of what it believes will be “superior blood management systems” based on technology already identified.

• Hanger Orthopedic Group (Bethesda, Maryland), through its wholly owned subsidiary, Linkia, a provider network management company, reported an agreement with Cigna HealthCare (Bloomfield, Connecticut) for the provision of orthotic and prosthetic products and services. The agreement, effective Oct. 17, includes all Hanger sites across the nation as well as independent providers under direct agreement with Linkia.

• Hitachi Medical Systems America (Twinsburg, Ohio) reported that three-year, multi-source purchasing agreements for ultrasound systems have been signed with Novation (Irving, Texas), the supply company of VHA (also Irving) and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC; Oak Brook, Illinois). The agreements, which offer Hitachi’s HI Vision 6500 and HI Vision 8500 radiology ultrasound systems to VHA and UHC members, take effect Sept. 1 and run through June 30, 2008.

• Hologic (Bedford, Massachusetts), a provider of diagnostic imaging and digital imaging systems for women’s health, reported being awarded two three-year, dual-source contracts with Novation, both taking effect Sept. 1. The first agreement covers Hologic’s analog and digital mammography systems; the second covers its bone densitometry systems.

• iCAD (Nashua, New Hampshire), a provider of computer-aided detection (CAD) solutions, reported a technology partnership agreement with Applied Software (Burtonsville, Maryland), which conducts business as MagView. Under the terms of the agreement, iCAD’s Second Look 300 and 700 CAD systems can be integrated with MagView’s mammography information software in an effort “to improve productivity and speed workflow,” the company said. MagView’s system tracks and reports mammography results using information obtained from the Second Look system.

• IsoTis OrthoBiologics (Lausanne, Switzerland) reported entering into a three-year, non-exclusive worldwide distribution agreement of its demineralized bone matrix products, DynaGraft II and OrthoBlast II, with Lifetek (Irvine, California) and Endoplant AG, two subsidiaries of PLUS Orthopedics Holding (San Diego). Financial details were not disclosed.

• Medical Carbon Research Institute (Austin, Texas), maker of the On-X prosthetic heart valve, reported the formation of a strategic alliance with Quality Assured Services (Orlando, Florida) to promote the use of anticoagulation self-monitoring by recipients of the On-X valve. QAS will provide the ProTime system from ITC for patient self monitoring and the feedback system that allows physicians to oversee treatment and data capture.

• Oncura (Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania), a provider of minimally invasive prostate cancer treatment products, reported receiving a contract from health group purchasing organization (GPO) Amerinet (St. Louis) to continue to provide Amerinet members with brachytherapy seeds products, effective Sept. 1. The dual-source agreement offers Amerinet members access to Oncura’s Iodine-125 and Palladium-103 brachytherapy products.