Ron Richard

ResMed Releases S8 Escape™
ResMed, Poway, Calif, has been granted the 2005 Frost & Sullivan Sleep Therapy Product Quality Leadership of the Year Award for its S7™ Elite continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device. The presentation of the award coincides with the release of ResMed’s newest CPAP device, the S8 Escape™, inaugurating a new generation of high- quality flow generators. “The S8 Escape is the newest innovation in our line of superior quality CPAP devices. We are pleased that Frost & Sullivan has recognized our commitment to product quality, and the S8 will continue our tradition of exceeding customers’ expectations,” said Ron Richard, VP of Marketing for the Americas. “The release of the S8 Escape is ResMed’s response to the market demand for a small, portable CPAP device with data downloading capabilities. This device will reinforce our position as the leading provider of high-quality, cost-effective respiratory therapy.”

Steve Bordewick

AEIOMed Receives FDA 510(k) Clearance for the aura CPAP
AEIOMed™, Minneapolis, recently received FDA 510(k) clearance for its CPAP, the aura™. The aura offers a compact portable system that eliminates patient compliance excuses based on inconvenience. The aura also features up to 20 cm/H20, automatic altitude compensation, and selectable compliance periods. “We’ve put our heart and soul into creating the aura CPAP system,” says Steve Bordewick, president and CEO. “We are confident in the difference it will make in the lives of CPAP patients. Now they will be able to experience the difference for themselves.”

CHAD Therapeutics Wins Medical Design Excellence Award
CHAD Therapeutics Inc, Chatsworth, Calif, recently received a 2005 Medical Design Excellence Award for its SAGE™ Oxygen Therapeutic Device. Product entries are evaluated on the basis of their design and engineering features, user-related functions that improve health care delivery and change traditional medical attitudes or practices, features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient, and the ability of product development to overcome design and engineering challenges and meet clinical objectives. Introduced in April 2004, SAGE is a delivery device for oxygen-dependent patients to combine oxygen-conserving technology with dynamic sensing mechanisms that automatically adjust oxygen flow ac-cording to the patient’s level of activity.

Medline Launches New Line of Scooters
Medline Industries Inc, Mundelein, Ill, recently unveiled its “next generation” of scooters with Strider Scooters, rounding out the company’s full line of DME and respiratory products. “We know that Americans are living longer and suffering more health problems. Mobility is now, and will continue to be an issue,” says Dave Jacobs, DME division president, Medline. “Over the past few years, we’ve significantly expanded our line. We realized our customers wanted and needed more options in scooters.” Medline did not want to develop another standard scooter, so the company spent nearly a year researching and meeting with seniors nationwide. As a result, Strider Scooters offer numerous features to meet the needs of those with limited mobility.

John Miclot

Respironics Acquires Mini-Mitter Company
Respironics Inc, Murrysville, Pa, recently acquired Mini-Mitter Company Inc, Bend, Ore, a 34-year-old, privately held company, which develops and markets sleep and physiological monitoring devices. “This acquisition is consistent with Respironics’ strategic direction to broaden our presence in the sleep market beyond our core obstructive sleep apnea business,” said John Miclot, president and CEO of Respironics. “Mini Mitter’s innovative technology will enable us to expand our current position and access new markets that we have identified as key to assuring our continued growth and leadership in the broader sleep market.” The base cash purchase price is $10.5 million, with provisions for additional payments to be made based on Mini Mitter’s operating performance over the next 2 years.

Invacare Redefines Bath Safety
Invacare Corp, Elyria, Ohio, recently signed an exclusive agreement with Microban International Ltd, allowing the company to introduce Microban® antimicrobial technology into its standard products line, starting with bath safety products. Microban produces technology that protects products from stain- and odor-causing bacteria, mold, and mildew, making them easier to clean and keeping them cleaner between cleanings. Invacare will apply this technology to select Invacare bath safety products, including shower chairs, commodes, and tub grab bars. “This is a tremendous opportunity for Invacare providers to provide the best possible solutions in the bath safety area to their customers,” says Joe Hosey, category vice president of Invacare’s Standard Products Group. “It demonstrates Invacare’s continued commitment to innovation in the HME field.”

Teruhisa Moriya

A&D Names New CEO
The board of directors for A&D Medical, Milpitas, Calif, recently appointed Teruhisa Moriya to the position of president and chief executive officer, succeeding retiring President and CEO Paul Huber.

Moriya has been with the company since June of 2002 when he was hired into an executive management role at A&D Company Limited in Tokyo. In August 2003, he moved to A&D Engineering in California to facilitate the company’s entry into the US viscometer business.

During Huber’s 17-year tenure with A&D, annual revenues grew from $9 million to $40 million. “We are well-positioned for continued success,” notes Moriya. “It is my intention to keep the organization dynamic and build upon the strong foundation that Paul has created.”

Computers Unlimited Promotes Executives
Computers Unlimited (CU), Billings, Mont, a supplier of software for HME and infusion providers, has announced two internal management promotions. David Schaer, the company’s long-time distributed business solutions manager, has been promoted to director of new business development, and Davis Almanza, who worked as programmer/analyst in the industrial department during his 7 years at CU, was promoted to pharmacy development manager.

Puritan Bennett Receives 2004 Frost & Sullivan Award
Frost & Sullivan awarded Puritan Bennett, Pleasanton, Calif, the 2004 Oxygen Therapy Product Quality Leadership Award for its oxygen therapy product, the HELiOS® Personal Oxygen System. Unlike other portable oxygen systems that must be carried or pulled, the HELiOS portable unit can be “worn” on a belt or in a shoulder bag for a more independent and mobile lifestyle. “Puritan Bennett has introduced a virtually complaint-free system by addressing quality at every step,” says Frost & Sullivan research analyst Alpesh Gandhi.

RDI Announces Acquisition of Global Solution LLC
Respiratory Distributors Inc (RDI), Foley, Ala, acquired the assets and business of Global Solution LLC (QWICRx), Morristown, Tenn. Global Solution LLC is a prominent supplier of medication vials, compounding equipment and cleanrooms, and vertical and powder hoods.

TAGA Sells Conserving Device Rights
TAGA Medical Technologies Inc, Eastlake, Ohio, has reached an agreement to sell the rights to its newly developed oxygen conserving device to Superior Products Inc, Cleveland, Ohio. The Raff-O2 conserver is a pneumatic 3:1 oxygen conserver designed for use with compressed oxygen cylinders (FDA 510(k) pending). The terms of the deal are confidential.

“We are extremely pleased to have found such a perfect partner for our conserver technology,” says Timothy Austin, CEO, of TAGA. “Superior is an established leader in the manufacture and distribution of gas management products and the Raff-O2 will fit nicely into their medical division and the oxygen product mix. Our engineering and medical expertise combined with Superior’s manufacturing and distribution infrastructure is ideal for the launch of a new oxygen conserver

In-X Corp Product Receives FDA Clearance
In-X Corp, Denver, has received FDA Clearance for the Home-Away® System. The Home-Away System enables patients with long term oxygen therapy (LTOT) needs to produce liquid oxygen in their home, thus eliminating the need for expensive deliveries. “The revolutionary Home-Away System will enable patients on LTOT to remain mobile and maintain their quality of life,” says Doug Powell, president. “Additionally, it is exciting news for home health care providers because it eliminates costly and time-consuming deliveries while offering patients full mobility with the preferred form of ambulatory oxygen.”

The Home-Away System works in conjunction with any In-X-approved oxygen concentrator to create liquid oxygen within the patient’s home. The system directs a portion of the oxygen flow from the concentrator to a cryogenic cooling device, where it is condensed into liquid and stored within the system until it is ready to be transfilled into a portable liquid unit. The remaining oxygen gas produced by the concentrator is available for patient use at a flow of up to 3 lpm. The portable liquid unit is worn around the patient’s waist (similar to a fanny pack); weighs 4.2 pounds when full, and provides a typical patient with 6 to 8 hours of mobility per fill. The Home-Away System produces enough liquid oxygen for a patient to fill the portable liquid unit three times per day. In-X anticipates availability for sale to home health care providers in the last quarter of 2005, with product delivery the first quarter of 2006.

Golden Technologies Launches Redesigned Web Site
Golden Technologies, Old Forge, Pa, a manufacturer of luxurious lift chairs, scooters, power wheelchairs, and luxury adjustable beds, has redesigned its Web site. “This redesigned site is an online catalog of the entire Golden Technologies product line. Dealers and consumers will be able to easily access photos, specifications, literature, and the features and benefits of every product we manufacture,” says C.J. Copley, vice president of marketing.

IN BRIEF
Respironics Inc, Murrysville, Pa, has appointed Donald J. Spence as the new president of its Home Care Division. • Invacare Corp, Elyria, Ohio, has acquired Medical Support Systems Holdings Limited (MSS), Cardiff, Wales. MSS’ products include mattresses, overlays, and cushions for both armchairs and wheelchairs.

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