Coverage of Corporate News and Updates

Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific Acquires EndoTex Interventional

Boston Scientific Corporation has acquired EndoTex Interventional Systems. The acquisition follows the FDA approval of the NexStent Carotid Stent System, which was studied in the CABERNET trial along with the Boston Scientific FilterWire EZ Embolic Protection System. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. “Combining the resources of these two organisations demonstrates Boston Scientific’s commitment to treating carotid artery disease,” said John Pedersen, president of Boston Scientific’s Peripheral Interventions business. EndoTex is a privately held, development stage medical device company focused on a less-invasive solution to treating carotid artery disease.The company develops interventional vascular therapeutic systems designed to reduce the need for reintervention, thereby providing improved quality of life, while reducing the cost of patient care.

Philips

Philips and Ascent Profit Sign $27 Million Contract

Royal Philips Electronics and Ascent Profit, a Chinese medical equipment wholesaler, announced that they have signed an agreement that will bring 200 high-end radiography systems to hospitals in China. The $27 million contract will enable healthcare facilities across the country to take advantage of Philips’ advanced radiography solutions.

Growing at rate of approximately 11 percent each year, the Chinese health-care market is currently one of the most rapidly expanding in the world. Digital radiography solutions are now being broadly implemented in the country’s major hospitals. Through the agreement with Ascent Profit, Chinese hospitals now have access to Philips DigitalDiagnost and Philips Essental DR, designed to provide small- and medium-sized hospitals with advanced digital X-ray capabilities and more efficient digital image workflow.

Agfa HealthCare

First Phase of Germany's Largest Hospital IT Project Complete

Agfa HealthCare announced that it has successfully completed the initial phase of the ORBIS Hospital Information System (HIS) implementation at the Vivantes Netzwerk für Gesundheit GmbH, Germany’s largest municipal hospital group. Two years after the contract was signed in September 2004, ORBIS is in operation in all nine Vivantes healthcare institutions. Before the start of the project, the individual hospitals and clinics of the group worked with systems from different manufacturers or with self-programmed software systems. The aim of the project was to standardise the existing heterogeneous system arena by replacing it with a centralised Hospital Information System (HIS), a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), and a Radiology Information System (RIS), all from a single source.

Matrox

Chi Lin Technology Co. Partners with Matrox

Matrox Graphics Inc. have announced that Chi Lin Technology Co., a Taiwanese display manufacturer, has worked with Matrox to develop medical display technology that works with Matrox display controller boards designed for medical imaging. Chi Lin’s High View Series, Mega View Series and HD View Series medical displays all ship bundled with Matrox MED™ Series display controller boards.

The Chi Lin High View Series with front sensor offers medical displays ranging from 2 through 5 MP grayscale displays, while its Mega View Series of displays offer radiologists 1 through 5 MP displays capable of colour and grayscale outputs. The HD View Series by Chi Lin is a High Definition Series with 42-inch and 47- inch colour displays.

E-Z-EM

E-Z-EM has Solid Fiscal Q2

E-Z-EM has announced financial results for the fiscal 2007 Q2 with net sales from continuing operations at $34.2 million, up one percent compared with $33.8 million for the quarter ended December 3, 2005. The company attributed the increase in net sales to continued growth in CT imaging product sales, price increases and favourable foreign currency exchange rates, which were offset by declines in contract manufacturing,  xray fluoroscopy and RSDL skin decontamination product sales. Gross profit for Q2 improved to $15.3 million from $15.1 million for the prior-year quarter, and as a percentage of net sales was 45 percent for both quarters. Increased costs for finished goods and raw materials were offset by decreased provision for inventor reserves and price increases. Operating expenses for the fiscal 2007 second quarter were $13 million, up three percent from $12.6 million for the comparable prior-year quarter.

Fujifilm

Fujifilm Medical Systems Acquires ProSolv

Fujifilm Medical Systems USA Inc will purchase cardiology PACS vendor Problem Solving Concepts Inc (ProSolv). The company will now operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fujifilm called ProSolv Cardio Vascular.Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

“The need for more tightly integrated enterprise image and information systems, combined with the growing application of CT and MR into cardiac applications, necessitates that we continually evolve our products and the way we do business,” said Makato Kawaguchi, President and CEO of Fujifilm Medical Systems USA. “The acquisition of ProSolv enables Fujifilm to strengthen our existing product portfolio and our foundation for growth.”

Varian

Varian to Acquire ACCEL Instruments GmbH

Varian Medical Systems Inc, recently announced its pending acquisition of ACCEL Instruments GmbH, Cologne, Germany. The purchase of ACCEL, a privately held supplier of protontherapy systems, will enable Varian to offer products for delivering imageguided, intensity modulated proton therapy.

Varian will invest around $30 million to acquire ACCEL, including assumption of debt.The transaction is expected to close in late January, pending the receipt of certain regulatory approvals.

Siemem

Siemens Acquires Gesellschaft für Systemforschung und Dienstleistungen im Gesundheitswesen (GSD)  

Siemens Medical Solutions has taken over Gesellschaft für Systemforschung und Dienstleistungen im Gesundheitswesen mbH (GSD), headquartered in Berlin. With more than 300 customers in 14 countries, GSD is active in the area of health information systems (HIS). The acquisition is still subject to approval by the antitrust authorities.

GSD generated revenue of 25.6 million EUR and employed 168 people in fiscal year 2005 (ended December 31). GSD will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens Medical Solution as part of the Health Services division.