A Medical Device Daily

CardioMag Imaging (CMI; Schenectady, New York) has signed a multi-year distribution agreement with Shenzhen Zhiheng Advanced Electrical Technology Co. (Shenzhen, China). The exclusive agreement calls for deliveries of specified numbers of CMI's magnetocardiography (MCG) units per year, beginning immediately.

The agreement follows the successful operation of the company's nine-channel system that was sold more than a year ago to the TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital (TICH; Tianjin, China). TICH has agreed to serve as a central operator-training center and to lead clinical R&D efforts to promote broader applications of MCG in China.

Shenzhen Zhiheng Advanced Electrical Technology said it expects to initially introduce CardioMag's systems into some of the leading facilities among the approximately 20,000 hospitals in China.

CardioMag said it expects to negotiate similar distribution agreements with medical equipment dealers in other countries around the world. In the U.S., where it received FDA approval for commercial sale of the systems last year, the company has targeted chest pain centers as the most likely early adopters of its technology, where the focus will be on early detection and risk stratification.

Privately held CMI was formed in 1999 to develop cardiac diagnostic products from more than 40 years of worldwide MCG research and development based upon SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) sensors.

Shenzhen Zhiheng Advanced Electrical Technology manufactures and markets medical equipment for the domestic Chinese market.

Costa Rica distributor for Oasis Burn Matrix

Healthpoint (Fort Worth, Texas) said it has signed an agreement with Elcom (San Jose, Costa Rica) to market and sell the Oasis Wound Matrix and Oasis Burn Matrix products in Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama.

Oasis is a biomaterial that can be used in the management of partial and full-thickness skin loss injuries, such as pressure, venous and chronic vascular ulcers; diabetic ulcers; surgical and trauma wounds; second-degree burns; abrasions and autograft donor sites.

The Oasis products are based on Cook Biotech's (West Lafayette, Indiana) Porcine Small Intestinal Submucosa, or SIS, technology. It is a natural, extracellular matrix used to manage a variety of wounds by providing an environment that allows a patient's body to rebuild and repair damaged tissue.

Cook Biotech will continue to manufacture the product.

Marco Jimenez, founder of Elcom, said, “We believe there is significant market potential for this innovative wound matrix and look forward to developing Oasis for patients throughout our national healthcare market.“

Healthpoint initially marketed Oasis in the U.S. and extended marketing efforts internationally beginning with Canada in late 2002 and adding Mexico last year.

Australian distribution set for DiaSys

DiaSys (Waterbury, Connecticut), a global diagnostics firm, reported a new distribution agreement with Laboratory Diagnostics (Sydney, Australia), a distributor of niche market testing products for the human and veterinary diagnostics in Australia and New Zealand.

Greg Witchel, DiaSys CEO, said, “The choice of a highly successful distributor such as Laboratory Diagnostics will enable us to rapidly identify and penetrate many of the leaders in the medical industry. In the past two months, we have entered promising markets in Latin America and now Australia.“

Laboratory Diagnostics represents several international human diagnostics companies in the country, and also distributes products for various veterinary companies.

DiaSys operates in Europe through its wholly owned subsidiary based in Wokingham, England.

Recojet test marketing under way in India

Antares Pharma (Exton, Pennsylvania) said test marketing of recombinant human insulin, along with the company's needle-free injection device, the Medi-Jector Vision, has begun in India under the trade name Recojet.

Recojet combines the Vision injection technology with recombinant human insulin supplied by SciGen Ltd. (Singapore), under the local brand name of Recosulin. The product is distributed by Shreya Life Sciences (Mumbai, India).

Antares said India has the largest number of patients with diabetes of any country in the world, with more than 30 million patients already diagnosed and the number of diagnosed cases expected to grow to about 57 million by 2025.

Jack Stover, president and CEO of Antares Pharma, said, “We believe our Medi-Jector Vision device can have a very significant payoff for public health and welfare systems in India. We are pleased that Shreya has chosen [it] to test-market, and we are hopeful of positive results.“

Stover added that for self-administered drugs such as insulin and human growth hormone, “We think patients all over the world prefer the needle-free alternative when given a choice.“ Antares currently distributes its needle-free systems in more than 20 countries.