Alere Medical (Reno, Nevada) said it would provide its comprehensive heart failure management program to Humana's (Louisville, Kentucky) Medicare Advantage members who suffer from advanced congestive heart failure. Humana serves more than 200,000 Medicare members in the covered areas. There is no cost to eligible Humana members for the new services that Alere Medical provides. Alere Medical develops technology and services that remotely monitor patients and provide physicians with information to enhance patient management.

Bioheart (Weston, Florida) entered into an agreement with the Powell Gene Therapy Center at the University of Florida (Gainesville, Florida) to develop a second-generation stem cell recruiting myoblast technology that includes controlled release of angiogenic growth factors for improving blood supply. Bioheart is moving forward with additional comparative studies in animals and plans to be ready to submit an investigational new drug application to the FDA by the first quarter of next year, and the partners said they hope to enter begin Phase II trials next year. The technology is targeted at recovering scarred heart tissue damaged from a heart attack.

Merit Medical Systems (South Jordan, Utah), a manufacturer of disposable products used primarily in cardiology and radiology procedures, has signed a supplier agreement with Novation (Irving, Texas), the supply company of VHA and the University HealthSystem Consortium. The agreement, which runs through July 31, 2007, covers Merit's line of cardiology products, including diagnostic catheters, diagnostic guide wires, fluid management kits and components, inflation devices and angioplasty accessories. The agreement also extends to healthcare organizations that purchase supplies through HealthCare Purchasing Partners International, a company that markets Novation purchasing agreements to non-members of VHA and UHC. Merit Medical makes disposable products used in interventional and diagnostic procedures, particularly in cardiology and radiology.

Quinton Cardiology Systems (Bothell, Washington), which focuses on cardiology products, and Cardiac Science (Irvine, California), a manufacturer of automated public access defibrillators, entered into an agreement under which Cardiac Science will manufacture its new Powerheart AED G3-PRO automated external defibrillator (AED) for sale by Quinton under the Burdick brand name to both medical offices and hospitals throughout the U.S. The AED, which will be sold under the CardioVive tradename, was cleared to market by the FDA last month. Quinton plans to sell the CardioVive AED to physicians and medical facilities via its primary care distribution network. According to industry estimates, there are more than 200,000 medical offices, hospitals and clinics in the U.S. alone. Fewer than 10% of those facilities currently are equipped with AEDs.