Cardiac Science (Irvine, California), a manufacturer of automated public access defibrillators, has entered into an alliance with privately held Complient (Solon, Ohio), an outsource provider of workplace AED programs, to roll-out a comprehensive private-label workplace defibrillation program consisting of AED training, medical direction, customer support and Internet-based software services aimed at Cardiac Science's corporate AED customers. Cardiac Science plans to package these services along with its AEDs and offer its corporate customers these services under multi-year contracts. This alliance marks an expansion of a marketing agreement announced earlier this year.

Diacrin (Charlestown, Massachusetts) signed a development and license agreement for Japan with Terumo (Tokyo), an international pharmaceutical and medical device company. The license involves human muscle cell transplantation technology for cardiac disease, which Diacrin is testing in multicenter human trials in the U.S. Terumo will fund all development in Japan, and Diacrin will receive an up-front license fee of $2 million, milestone payments and a royalty on product sales. The companies plan to share clinical data and strategy to facilitate product approval in Japan.

Mobile PET Systems (San Diego, California), a provider of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging services to health care entities, and Bracco Diagnostics (Princeton, New Jersey) the U.S. operating company of the Bracco Group (Milan, Italy), a provider of integrated solutions for diagnostic imaging have agreed to establish a strategic partnership pilot program designed to jointly provide cardiac PET products and services to healthcare providers. Under this program, Bracco Diagnostics and Mobile PET Systems have agreed to combine their marketing and sales resources to offer cardiovascular PET services to cardiology groups in the U.S.

Cook (Bloomington, Indiana) has signed a two-year agreement with the group purchasing arm of Premier (San Diego, California), one of the nation's largest not-for-profit hospital alliances for an offering of diagnostic and interventional products. The new agreement provides Premier members with a range of interventional radiology products and services offered by Cook. Cook companies are involved in interventional radiology, interventional cardiology, urology, neuroradiology, vascular medicine, critical care and growing diagnostic and therapeutic practices. Premier is a strategic alliance owned by more than 200 hospital and healthcare systems. These systems operate or are affiliated with about 1,530 hospital facilities in 50 states.