Royal Philips Electronics' Philips Medical Systems (Andover, Massachusetts) unit and Walgreen Co. (Deerfield, Illinois), which bills itself as "the nation's largest drugstore chain," reported that the Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator is now available to consumers without a prescription via Walgreens.com and Walgreens' toll-free number, 866-522-8007.

Walgreens will be the first drugstore to carry the device since its clearance for sale without a prescription last Sept. 16.

The HeartStart Home Defibrillator is designed specifically for home use by virtually anyone to provide treatment for sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

Chemicon, OncoMethylome in pact

Serologicals (Norcross, Georgia) said that Chemicon International (Temecula, California), its wholly owned subsidiary, and OncoMethylome Sciences (Liege, Belgium) have entered into an agreement pursuant in which OMS has licensed Chemicon's patented fluorescent detection technology, Amplifluor, for the clinical development of diagnostic assays detecting DNA methylation patterns.

Medtronic AEDs in Columbus program

Medtronic (Minneapolis) reported that the company has partnered with the city of Columbus, Ohio, to launch a comprehensive program to expand the placement of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public locations throughout the city, expand the number of residents trained in both CPR and AED use, and educate more citizens about sudden cardiac arrest.

Columbus began its effort by forming Project HeartStart under the leadership of City Council member Patsy Thomas. This collaboration, involving city departments, area non-profit hospitals and key non-profit health-related organizations, is now focusing on specific program details including CPR/AED training and education events for residents, potential grant opportunities for community groups, and special pricing of AEDs for Columbus businesses.