Diagnostic Imaging Scan - February 26, 2008 - (Page 3) and marketable securities. Because the two companies have a history of working together, the risk is reduced of running into unpleasant surprises after the merger is complete. Notably, Bracco distributes E-Z-EM products in Italy, including an oral imaging product made expressly for the Italian vendor. The merger will strengthen Bracco, expanding its reach into markets complementary to its core competencies, Medici said. This could play well if the Italian company completes an initial public offering, which has been rumored but not formally announced. Medici refused to comment about such plans, but he confirmed that executives have discussed an IPO. “Certainly the possibility of a public offering has been explored,” Medici said. pounds for the detection of neurodegenerative diseases. These include Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and other disorders, such as multiple sclerosis, that are associated with neuroinflammation. Under the agreement terms, Bayer receives exclusive worldwide rights to develop and market the products for use with PET. In November 2006, Bayer announced it had entered into a joint research program with Stanford University to develop PET radiotracers for the diagnosis and follow-up of cancer. That deal gives Bayer the option to assume exclusive rights for the development and commercialization of such products. The company also has been working with Avid Radiopharmaceuticals of Philadelphia since late 2005 to design novel tracers for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease. Avid’s 18F-AV1/ZK compound targets amyloid plaques in the brain. The two companies are exploring the potential of this and related compounds for use in PET imaging of the disease. Bayer is also collaborating on PET imaging research with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. of $2.3 million in 4Q06. Net income for 2007 was $1.4 million on revenue of $70.2 million compared with a net of $6.6 million in 2006 on revenue of $70.5 million. Company execs forecast revenue between $74 million and $78 million in 2008. Reeling from financial inconsistencies that have dogged the company for years, PACS/ IT provider Merge Healthcare announced it is “considering all possible strategic options” following the release of its thirdquarter report that showed a loss of $141.9 million. Merge reported revenue totaling $14.1 million for the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2007, several hundred thousand dollars more than the year-earlier period and about a hundred thousand more than the previous quarter. Merge is now current with SEC filings but has not yet filed its Q4 or annual reports for 2007, the company said. The 3Q loss may look worse than it is because of a $131.6 million charge for impairment of goodwill and other long-lived assets. Senior management is considering debt or equity financing, the sale of selected assets, and ongoing cost savings initiatives to preserve cash. Earlier this week Merge announced plans to reduce its worldwide workforce from 600 to 440. QuiCk HiTs FujiFilm Medical Systems USA has begun delivery to U.S. sites a mobile version of its computed radiography system for mammography. The company is targeting the film-based mobile mammography market that makes up about 85% to 90% of the estimated 400 mobile units operating in the U.S. today. Optical imaging specialist Advanced Research Technologies has sold its first SoftScan breast imaging system to a Canadian buyer. Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto will research the value of the system in monitoring patient response to breast cancer treatment. The FDA has cleared Siemens’ Artis zeego, a robotically driven C-arm unveiled at RSNA 2007 that can support interventions in radiology and cardiology as well as surgical procedures. February 26, 2008 Bayer wins rights to PET radiolabeling technology Deal with Korean firm adds latest in string of partnerships Bayer Schering Pharma has purchased the exclusive worldwide rights to a PET radiolabeling technology from the Korean firm FutureChem. The proprietary fluorine-18 technology can be applied to label target-specific tracers for molecular imaging applications. “It has been repeatedly tested and verified, and it is ready for clinical practice,” said Dae Hyuk Moon, a professor of nuclear medicine at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul. Asan helped FutureChem develop the technology. The newly licensed labeling technology produces yields of PET radiotracers five to 50 times larger than those achieved with existing ones, according to Bayer. It can be applied to a variety of diagnostic PET tracers in Bayer’s R&D portfolio, said Hans Maier, head of Bayer Schering Pharma’s diagnostic imaging global business unit. He added that the company was committed to the research and development of PET tracers that target and detect pathological changes on a molecular level. The goal is to develop the means to diagnose a broad range of diseases. The deal with FutureChem is the latest in a string of partnerships struck by Bayer over the last few years to develop PET-based technologies. Earlier this year, Bayer announced a licensing agreement with Taisho Pharmaceutical, Nihon Nohyaku, and the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan to develop novel imaging com- Toshiba prompts customers to embrace 4D Volumetric transducers, offline software workstation spur productivity Volumetric ultrasound is ubiquitous. Its availability is driven not by diagnostic advantage as much as by improved workflow and productivity. Still, many practitioners are hesitant to give up 2D for 3D. Toshiba America Medical Systems executives hope to tap into this uneasy embrace of volumetric ultrasound by offering customers oldschool scanners that can be outfitted with new-school transducers. “We are not telling our customers that they have to do volume ultrasound. If they want to scan the traditional way, we have that covered,” said Gordon Parhar, director of the Toshiba America ultrasound business unit. “But if they want to do something new that will save them time, we have that covered as well.” The company now offers four volumetric transducers for use on its Aplio XG and Xario XG ultrasound systems, three more than last year when the company introduced a general purpose 4D probe. The new ones serve specific purposes, addressing transvaginal ob/gyn, small parts, and abdominal imaging. Their specialty design produces less variation in the acquired images, the Copyright © 1991-2008 CMP Healthcare Media Group LLC
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