28 December, 2005
BD Micro-Delivery System Licensed by Sanofi Pasteur
FRANKLIN LAKES , New Jersey , December 21/PRNewswire/ -- - Technology has Potential to Improve Efficiency of Influenza Vaccine

BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company) (NYSE: BDX), has entered into an agreement with sanofi pasteur, the vaccines mbusiness of the sanofi-aventis Group (NYSE: SNY), to license the BD Micro-Delivery System for use in the administration of sanofi pasteur's human vaccine products.   Most vaccines are delivered via intramuscular injection. This BD patented technology provides a new method of delivering vaccine into the upper layer of the skin. The results of early-phase clinical research have shown that this method of delivery has the potential to improve the immunogenicity and efficiency of the delivered vaccine.

The BD Micro-Delivery System is designed to be pre-filled with vaccine and to easily and reliably deliver the vaccine to the skin. The system features a tiny "microneedle." Clinical testing indicates that the "microneedle" is barely perceptible when it enters the skin.

"In practical terms, the BD Micro-Delivery System has the potential to increase a patient's acceptance of vaccine as well and enable vaccination of more people with less vaccine," said Alexandre Conroy, President, BD Medical

8 April, 2005
UNIPATH INTRODUCES DIGITAL OVULATION TEST TO THE CLEARBLUE RANGE
Unipath, one of the world¹s leading women¹s health consumer and professional diagnostic organisations, has introduced a digital ovulation test to the Clearblue range of home testing kits.

Many people are unaware that there are just two days in each menstrual cycle when women are at their most fertile and when conception is most likely to occur. They also don¹t realise that women¹s cycles can vary from woman to woman and cycle to cycle, therefore the two most fertile days can occur at different times dependent on cycle length.

Women are at their most fertile around the time of ovulation, which generally occurs 12 to 16 days before the start of their next period. The female body naturally produces a sudden surge in Luteinising Hormone (LH) which triggers the release of an egg from an ovary ­ ovulation. The LH surge usually occurs 24 to 36 hours before ovulation.

Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test works by detecting the surge of Luteinising Hormone (LH) present in the woman¹s urine. Used on the days around the time of the cycle when the LH surge is expected, the test enables women to know in advance when ovulation is likely to occur. Once the LH surge has been detected, the woman is at her most fertile on that day and the day after.

Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test pack contains seven test sticks (2 more than other brands) to increase women¹s chances of detecting the LH surge by allowing them to test over a longer time frame with one pack.

Clearblue Digital Ovulation Test shows the result on a digital display making it the easiest test to read ­ it displays a 'blank circle¹ when the woman has not detected her LH surge and a 'smiley face¹ when she has detected her LH surge ­ and therefore reached her most fertile time.   Results appear in just 3 minutes.  It iis over 99% accurate and is available from most independent pharmacies, pharmacy chains and many supermarkets and has a recommended retail price of £22.99. The test is also available to buy on-line at www.clearblue.info/uk/shop <http://www.clearblue.info/uk/shop>

14 March 2005
Temozolomide (Temodal) for glioblastoma
The addition of a novel chemotherapy agent, Temozolomide (brand name: Temodal(R)) to radiation therapy increases survival in patients suffering from glioblastoma, a very aggressive form of a brain tumour.  The findings are leading to a new standard of care for patients with this fast growing and devastating cancer. The results of this landmark trial are published in two companion papers in this weeks' edition of the New England Journal of Medicine (publication date: 10 March 2005 ). 

Glioblastoma is the most common type of primary malignant brain tumour in adults with a yearly incidence of 5-7 persons per 100.000 with an average life expectancy of about 1 year. The results of this study demonstrate a clear improvement of survival. At 2 years only 10% of patients treated with radiotherapy alone were alive, compared to 26% of patients receiving the combination of both radiotherapy and temozolomide chemotherapy.

If patients were to be selected according to their molecular profile -- the investigators analysed the functionality of a gene responsible for DNA repair, the so called MGMT gene -- the improvement is even more dramatic, as almost half of those patients whose tumours carry an inactivated MGMT gene are alive after 2 years. Importantly, the study also showed that this new combined therapy did not impact negatively on the patients' quality of life.

The key to the new therapy's effectiveness is that temozolomide causes very few side effects and is well tolerated by patients. This means patients can take the drug every day during their radiation treatment instead of once every eight weeks -- the common dosage for other chemotherapy drugs."

9 March 2005
Aqua Planet's New Watercooler Helps to Reduce Cross Contamination From MRSA
Aqua Planet has just announced the 509, a totally new drinking watercooler that automatically sanitises the tap area of the cooler every time you take a drink of water. It is normal for coolers to be placed in positions of convenience, these places are not normally near washing facilities. If somebody takes a drink after going to the toilet or has been on a ward where there are cases of MRSA, and they have not washed their hands properly, they will transmit bacteria or viruses to the taps.

The 509 cooler will help to reduce the chances of bacteria and viruses being passed on to the next user of the cooler. The patented 509 has a door to protect the taps and dispense heads and drip tray. Open the door, take a drink, close the door and an Ionizer is activated inside the cooler that will kill any germs left by the previous user. The advantages of this system are that it will help to reduce cross contamination of bacteria and viruses such as MRSA, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, E-coli 0157 and Campylobacter in hospitals and the work place.

The 509 uses the standard large water bottles supplied by most watercooler companies, it will be available as a plumed in Point-of-Use cooler with it's own filtration system within the next few months.

Over the next year, more auto-sanitising models will be available from the Saeco stable. Aqua Planet has been helped in the development of the 509 by its sister company WatershipDown TrioScience Ltd, who are the world leaders in design and marketing of ozone sterilising equipment for the vending and watercooler industry. TrioScience is marketing a high performance machine to remove MRSA from hospital wards. Using this machine will enable hospitals to reduce costs and get the wards back in use again within a few hours.

Source: Aqua Planet Ltd

or future information please contact Barrington Ward, Managing Director of Aqua Planet Ltd on +44-(0)870-321-7810 & WatershipDown TrioScience Ltd on +44-(0)870-321-7910 or e-mail: bward@aquaplanet.co.uk

7 March 2005
Alveolus Announces Implantation of First AERO(TM) Tracheobronchial Stent in the United Kingdom
The AERO(TM) system will become the preferred treatment option for physicians throughout the UK and Europe for both malignant and benign obstructive pulmonary diseases.   The advantages of the AERO stent were immediately apparent when first used -- it was deployed with ease and with great accuracy under direct bronchoscopic vision and without the need for a general anesthetic.

15 Minute Prion Inactivation Detergent Available Today - Steris
Safer Hospital Surgery Now Possible For All Patients     The detergent can remove and inactivate prion contamination from surgical instruments in 15 minutes, making it a unique and record breaking product. The technology will be showcased at the Patients Association Clean Hospital Summit taking place on 14/15 April 2005 in central London .

This news follows research published in The Lancet last year which revealed that STERIS' Prion Inactivation Detergent removes and inactivates, the dangerous prions present on surgical instruments and other healthcare equipment. No simple method has previously been available for tackling the deadly proteins behind BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, or mad cow disease) and vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease) which does not damage the surfaces of medical instruments or other sensitive healthcare equipment being cleaned.

The Lancet research demonstrated that when surfaces are treated with the detergent solution, prions previously present on the surfaces are inactivated. This presents a major opportunity for reducing the risk of the transmission of CJD/BSE between patients each time medical equipment is re-used.

The product has been CE marked for this application and provides a reliable method to eliminate all prions from correctly cleaned surgical instrumentation prior to their use on another patient. The technology doesn't just remove the prions from the surface of the instrument; it actually inactivates the prion and reduces the onward transmission risk."

The technology is now available for use in hospital sterile service departments where surgical instruments are cleaned between use on patients.

For more details about STERIS see www.steris.com

The technology will be showcased in a seminar at the Patients Association Clean Hospital Summit taking place on 14/15 April 2005 in central London . Details of the summit are available at: www.cleanerhospitals.co.uk