BioHeart (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) and Cambrex (East Rutherford, New Jersey) completed a supply agreement in which Cambrex will contract manufacture BioHeart's autologous MyoCell therapy. BioHeart has approval to initiate U.S. clinical trials. Cambrex will support BioHeart's worldwide trials from its BioWhittaker facilities in Maryland and Belgium. MyoCell is designed to regenerate damaged cell tissue through the transplantation of skeletal muscle cells.

Broadlane (San Francisco, California), a provider of supply chain management services to the health care industry, said it has signed an agreement with Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts), a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of less-invasive medical devices, to integrate Boston Scientific into Broadlane's e-commerce exchange. The Broadlane Exchange has been operational for almost a year. Broadlane said Boston Scientific is one of the top suppliers of clinical preference products for its health care customer base. Included are products in such categories as coronary and peripheral interventions, cardiac electrophysiology, radiology/oncology interventions, neuro/peripheral interventions, vascular surgery, endoscopy and urology. Additionally, Broadlane was awarded a contract by Zoll Medical (Burlington, Massachusetts), a manufacturer of non-invasive cardiac resuscitation devices that provide pacing and defibrillation. Zoll will provide cardiac resuscitation devices to Broadlane's health care customers. The agreement is effective March 18. The contract provides Broadlane customers with access to Zoll's external dual-function defibrillator/pacemakers, automated external defibrillators, and automated advisory defibrillators. Specific products include the M Series Defibrillator Monitor Pacemaker, M Series Semi-Automatic Defibrillator, and a full line of multi-function electrodes and related accessories for cardiac resuscitation and cardioversion.

CardioComm Solutions (Victoria, British Columbia) and Gateway Electronic Medical Management Systems (GEMMS; Indianapolis, Indiana) have completed development of an interface between GEMMS' Electronic Clinical Information System (ECIS) and CardioComm's Global ECG Management System (GEMS). The integration or interface enables a seamless transfer of data between the systems. The ECIS is an enhanced computerized patient record system designed for cardiologists. Through ECIS, cardiology physicians can integrate their clinical, fiscal and management information into one system and manage a standard of care throughout a group's entire network. Through this integration, the companies said physicians can save time and money, facilitate faster decision-making, analyze diagnostic testing results more efficiently, obtain greater access to information, process prescriptions more efficiently and deliver enhanced patient care and health care solutions. GEMS is a patient management solution for cardiac event monitoring, pacemaker and ICD follow-up. It is a software only solution for trans-telephonic receiving of recordings from all types of event monitors, and pacemaker transmitters. Additionally, the system also supports in-clinic pacemaker and ICD follow-up. For CardioComm, this represents the first in a series of interfaces to be completed over the next six to 12 months. CardioComm's technology is used in products for the recording, viewing, analyzing and storing of electrocardiograms for diagnosis and management of cardiac patients.

Light Sciences (Issaquah, Washington), a company developing a new integrated approach to photodynamic therapy for cancer, eye and cardiovascular disease based on Light Infusion Technology, has signed a development and services agreement with Agilent Technologies (Palo Alto, California). Agilent will provide Light Sciences with optoelectronic design and fabrication services through its Semiconductor Products Group. The two companies are collaborating on the development and manufacture of new light-emitting diodes that will be used with Light Infusion Technology.

Premier (Chicago, Illinois) awarded Scios (Sunnyvale, California) a three-year contract for its recently FDA-approved drug, Natrecor, the first drug approved in the last 14 years to treat patients with acutely decompensated congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF patients suffer from shortness of breath, swelling (edema) of the legs and arms, and fatigue. Natrecor is indicated to improve breathing and reduce pressure on the heart. Premier is a health care alliance of nearly 1,600 not-for-profit hospitals and health systems committed to improving quality, enhancing safety and reducing costs.

Thermogenesis (Rancho Cordova, California) has signed a distribution agreement with Dideco SpA (Mirandola, Italy), a Snia Group company, to begin immediate commercialization of its CryoSeal Fibrin Sealant System in Europe, Eastern Europe, portions of Scandinavia and the Middle East, and Africa. The new system may radically reduce "mad cow" disease concerns by providing a fibrin sealant sourced from either the patient's own blood or from a single donor, without any bovine additive. Dideco said the ability to provide a second-generation autologous and single-donor fibrin sealant into the European marketplace, where the spread of mad cow disease, vCJD, and other infectious pathogens have caused great concern, will provide it with a product differentiation point and an advantage when selling into its customer base.