Applied Biosystems (Foster City, California), HTS Biosystems (Hopkinton, Massachusetts) and Mitsubishi Chemical (MCC; Tokyo) unveiled a distribution agreement in which Applied Biosystems Japan Ltd. (ABJ), a division of Applied Biosystems, will be the exclusive distributor of a next-generation surface plasmon resonance (SPR) system designed to help researchers profile and characterize biomolecular interactions. The three companies also are expected to collaborate to further develop applications to expand the capabilities of the system. Applied Biosystems plans for worldwide commercial release of the system by mid-year.

Cardiac Science (Irvine, California), a manufacturer of public access automated external defibrillators (AEDs), said it is working in conjunction with the American Red Cross (Washington) and local Red Cross chapters across the country to make Powerheart AEDs available to businesses, government facilities and individuals in their communities. The relationship gives the Red Cross the opportunity to increase public access to defibrillation by providing AEDs and accessories, in conjunction with Red Cross lifesaving training courses, to workplaces and communities.

Chindex International (Bethesda, Maryland), an independent distributor of Western healthcare products and services in the People's Republic of China, said it has signed an exclusive agreement with BrainLAB Ltd., the Hong Kong subsidiary of BrainLAB AG (Munich, Germany), a maker of software-driven medical equipment primarily in the fields of image-guided surgery and stereotactic radiosurgery.

DOV Pharmaceuticals (Hackensack, New Jersey) reached an agreement with Biovail (Toronto, Ontario) and Biovail Laboratories for the return of Biovail's exclusive license to DOV's patent for the immediate and controlled release of diltiazem, and the termination of a 2001 exclusive license agreement with Biovail for development of the DOV compound for the treatment of angina and hypertension. The separation agreement calls for a $1 million current payment to Biovail and establishes contingent payments to Biovail of $3 million upon issuance of marketing authority for the drug and up to $7.5 million based upon sales. Biovail will retain a limited license under the patent to use a formulation in a manner that the company believes cannot be competitive with DOV's diltiazem.

Emergency Filtration Products (EFP; Las Vegas, Nevada) has entered into a definitive agreement with Weise Labs (Taiwan) in which that company will manufacture and distribute EFP's new 2H Nano-Enhanced Environmental Mask to the Asian markets. The non-exclusive agreement calls for a minimum order of 250,000 units of the mask, which should yield about $1 million in revenues to EFP, the company said. The recent outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has become a major international health emergency and has created a worldwide surge in demand for effective facemasks, such as the 2H Nano-Enhanced Environmental Mask, which is designed to assist in the protection of individuals from the virus. EFP is an air filtration products manufacturer.

Joint Purchasing Corp. (JPC; New York) said it has entered into a three-year, sole-source agreement with Medrad (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania). The agreement will provide JPC customers nationwide with the full line of Medrad products, including its injection systems, syringes and disposables, magnetic resonance surface coils, monitors and related equipment. Medrad is a U.S. affiliate of Schering AG (Berlin, Germany).

McKinley Medical (Wheat Ridge, Colorado), an international supplier of infusion systems, announced an exclusive distribution deal with South Korea-based Medipia to sell the WalkMed PCA and associated disposables in South Korea. The WalkMed PCA electronic-infusion pump is programmable in continuous-only, bolus-only or continuous plus patient-controlled dosing. The agreement covers the distribution of all WalkMed products in South Korea. McKinley Medical is an affiliate of The Broe Companies.

ProModel Solutions (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), a business process optimization and decision support company, and Pfizer (New York), signed a collaboration agreement that will provide Pfizer with access to ProModel Solutions' technology and consulting services. In addition to obtaining a number of enterprise licenses to ProModel's technology, Pfizer has taken an equity position in QuestOne Decision Sciences, the parent of ProModel Solutions, giving Pfizer an approximately 14% interest in the company. ProModel said it intends to use this investment to foster the continued development and implementation of technology-driven solutions focused on reducing cycle time, increasing throughput and raising levels of productivity throughout an organization. ProModel has developed specialized solutions for the pharmaceutical industry that encompass modeling, analysis and simulation of management processes that enable executives to assess the capabilities of complex organizations in advance of making decisions. These solutions have targeted applications that provide analysis to optimize resource allocations and manage and plan existing and future portfolios. ProModel Solutions is a business process optimization and decision support company serving the pharmaceutical, healthcare and manufacturing industries.