A Medical Device Daily

Omron (Kyoto, Japan) reported this week that it will acquire all shares of Colin Medical Technology (CMT; Komaki, Japan) from Carlyle Group (Washington) and other stockholders through its wholly owned company, Omron Healthcare (Kyoto, Japan). The purchase – the deal terms not disclosed – is planned for completion in June.

In the deal, Omron Healthcare said it will acquire CMT’s medical devices for healthcare professionals, such as bio-information monitors, inpatient blood pressure monitoring devices and vascular screening devices, adding to Omron Healthcare’s home healthcare products, including blood pressure monitors and body fat analyzers.

Omron Healthcare said it now can offer a variety of medical devices for the operating room, hospital and home and anticipates creating “a new market by connecting medical workplaces and patient homes.”

“Omron predicted a shift within the medical market from treatment to prevention,” said Hisao Sakuta, director and CEO of the company. “To respond to this change, we spun off the healthcare business in 2003 and accelerated our business goals and began exploring partnership opportunities. With CMT reestablishing its business foundation by the support of Carlyle, we believe Omron Healthcare and CMT can establish a complementary relationship with both products and in markets.”

Since Omron Healthcare’s spin off, it has reached 50.6 billion yen in sales and 7.6 billion yen in profit in FY05. The company said the global market for healthcare devices for home use – such as blood pressure monitors, body fat analyzers, thermometers and nebulizers – is expected to grow steadily from 113.5 billion yen last year to 150 billion yen in 2011.

Omron Healthcare said that through the acquisition it will aim at 75 billion yen in sales and head toward more than 15% profit growth in FY08.

pSivida receives first China patent

Global nanotechnology company pSivida (Perth) reported receiving its first patent in China, calling this development “important, as China has the highest incidence of primary liver cancer in the world with 345,844 cases in 2002 . . .”

pSivida called China “a logical target market for BrachySil” because of its “potential lower cost of the Chinese registration pathway and the vast need of BrachySil-like products.”

Chinese patent No. ZL 99807447 provides protection for silicon implants comprising tissue compatible biodegradable silicon for drug delivery. The invention was based on the demonstration, in model systems, that long-term BioSilicon implants lack toxicology and degrade in the body in a controllable manner. It also claims the loading of BioSilicon implants of varying porosity and structure with different drugs.

pSivida said it is in “exploratory discussions” with commercialization partners for the Chinese market for BrachySil and is investigating the regulatory processes to launch the product in China.

Gavin Rezos, managing director for pSivida, said, “In recent years China has opened its commercial doors to many western products, healthcare being no exception. Although our main short term interest is to launch BrachySil in China, we believe other products in the drug delivery arena will also be good candidates for this rapidly growing market.”

pSivida said its intellectual property portfolio consists of 26 patent families, 29 granted patents and more than 80 patent applications.

pSivida is a nanotechnology company focused on commercialization of a modified form of silicon (porosified or nano-structured silicon) known as BioSilicon, offering applications in controlled-release drug delivery, targeted cancer therapies (including brachytherapy and localized chemotherapy), tissue engineering and orthopedics.

pSivida owns the intellectual property rights to BioSilicon for use in or on humans and animals. The IP portfolio consists of 26 patent families, 29 granted patents and over 80 patent applications. The core patent, which recognizes BioSilicon(TM) as a biomaterial was granted in the UK in 2000 and in the US in 2001.

The company’s strategic partner and largest shareholder is the QinetiQ group, the largest science and technology company in Europe. QinetiQ is the former UK government Defence Evaluation Research Agency and was instrumental in discovering BioSilicon. pSivida enjoys a strong relationship with QinetiQ, having access to its research and development facilities.

MedMira gets Hong Kong supply order

MedMira (Halifax), a developer of rapid flow-through diagnostic technologies, reported receiving a monthly standing order for the next year from Goodman Medical Supplies, its Hong Kong distributor, for its MiraCare Rapid HIV Test, as part of a three-year distribution agreement.

MiraCare, an over-the-counter (OTC) rapid HIV test, is distributed to pharmacies in Hong Kong and Macao, in the People’s Republic of China. It is sold as a complete test package with results in just three minutes.

Since launch of MiraCare at the end of January, MedMira reports having shipped 5,000 tests monthly to Goodman to fulfill an order based on initial sales estimates. The new annual standing order, beginning this July, increases the monthly shipment to 20,000 units.

“MiraCare is our highest profile product, and it is quickly becoming one of MedMira’s market leaders,” said Stephen Sham, chairman and CEO of MedMira. “Goodman’s extensive experience in medical supply distribution has been clearly demonstrated by its timely – and very successful – expansion into new market verticals for our product.”

Collen Chan, managing director of Goodman, said, “MedMira’s OTC rapid HIV test is a proven success in our distribution network. Our success to date will serve as the basis for expansion of the MiraCare product line in our sales territory.”

MedMira manufactures in vitro flow-through rapid diagnostic tests for the clinical laboratory market. The FDA and its equivalent in the People’s Republic of China have approved its Reveal G2 and MiraWell Rapid HIV Tests, used in clinical laboratories and hospitals, primarily where professional counseling and patient treatment are immediately available, the company said.

Ultrasonix launches Sonix SP

Ultrasonix Medical (Barnaby, British Columbia) reported launch of its Sonix SP, an ultrasound solution for multi-disciplinary imaging.

Ultrasonix said it will showcase the system at upcoming trade shows, including the 2005 American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists meeting in San Francisco, May 9-11 and the Leading Edge in Diagnostic Ultrasound meeting in Atlantic City, May 10-12.

The Sonix SP uses an open PC-based operating architecture, and offers 3-D and 4-D imaging. It also is equipped with “Q Sonix,” a quick exam “wizard,” which walks the user through patient data entry, application presets and probe selection.

“From a unique modular design for serviceability to the ergometric console, Sonix SP exemplifies the perfect balance between performance and affordability,” said Robert Thompson, vice president of global marketing and business development for Ultrasonix.