Guidant (Indianapolis, Indiana) has begun a strategic partnership with HeartCenterOnline (Boca Raton, Florida) under which HeartCenterOnline has created a web site for Guidant to provide health care information to patients and families who suffer from heart and cardiovascular disease. Seven resource centers on the site – covering stents, arrhythmias, heart attacks, aneurysms, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, heart failure and bypass surgery – are focused on therapy awareness, treatment options and other resources for patients, families and doctors. The online health information is reviewed by an advisory board of practicing cardiologists. Additional resource centers will be launched in February.

Percutaneous Valve Technologies (PVT; Fort Lee, New Jersey) and VenPro (Irvine, California) have signed a development agreement for medical devices in the field of chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). The companies will jointly develop products and technology using less-invasive stented valves for the replacement of failed venous valves in the legs. CVI is a lower leg condition affecting 4 million people in the U.S., Europe and Japan. PVT is developing a breakthrough technology for aortic stenosis, a narrowing of the aortic heart valve, which causes the valve to open improperly and to obstruct the flow of blood. VenPro is an early stage company focused on developing bioprosthetic implants for treating venous diseases.