New Healthcare-related Products, Services, and Companies
Interlink Launches Medical-Education Company Interlink Healthcare Communications has formed a medical-education entity called IneXel Medical Strategy and Communications. IneXel provides a full range of services within four major areas of medical communication: thought leader/advisory board meetings, educational initiatives, publication planning, and clinical-trial support. The company handles medical-education activities (both CME and non-CME) for pharmaceutical clients. The firm is not accredited for continuing medical education but serves as a joint sponsor with accredited providers for certified CME activities. Interlink’s managing director, Steven Palmisano, heads IneXel’s 12-member staff. The new company has launched its medical-education operations with three brands: Imclone Systems’ Erbitux, a cancer fighting drug; Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Avapro, which is used mainly to treat high blood pressure; and an innovative new product in development for the treatment of major depressive disorder. The assignments include a wide range of promotional medical-education projects, including Websites, manuscripts, posters, advisory meetings, and more. aSteven Palmisano, Managing Director of Interlink Healthcare Communications, is heading up the new, independent medical-education entity, IneXel Medical Strategy and Communications. Nexus Forms Indicia Medical Education Indicia fulfills unmet needs with educational interventions that integrate best practices from across the healthcare and educational industries, says Dr. Karen Overstreet, President of Nexus Communications Inc. As a proactive measure to maintain separation of education and promotion, Nexus Communications Inc. has formed Indicia Medical Education LLC to develop and manage certified educational activities for healthcare professionals. Indicia is overseen by industry veteran Karen Overstreet, Ed.D., R.Ph., who brings to the company expertise in educational design and process, access to leaders and decision-makers in related fields, and an understanding of the changing regulatory paradigms relevant to continuing medical education. Indicia maintains a system of checks and balances by working synergistically with accredited partners in academia and medical specialty societies. According to Dr. Overstreet, this collaboration results in educational programs that are innovative, interactive, independent of commercial influence, and instrumental in helping clinicians improve outcomes for their patients. While Indicia is responsible for all certified continuing education activities, Nexus continues to provide strategies and services in the areas of thought-leader development, publication planning, and other noncertified educational activities. Advanstar Launches RN-Urology Edition Advanstar Communications Inc. has launched RN-Urology Edition, a new demographic edition of its nursing publication, RN. RN-Urology Edition is a joint venture between RN, a leading publication among registered nurses, and Urology Times and Contemporary Urology. The publication offers urologic nurses a new resource from already trusted and established sources. “Combining RN’s strong history in the nursing market and our depth in the urology market, the RN-Urology Edition specifically targets the important audience of urologic nurses and brings them information relevant to their field and practice,” says Matt Holland, group publisher, Advanstar’s nursing and urology groups. “This opportunity offers pharmaceutical and device companies a unique opportunity to deliver marketing and educational messages to a highly qualified audience.” The premiere issue was published in February 2006, featuring urology clinical briefs, an update from Washington on legislation that affects urology nurses, answers to coding questions, and new products for urology nurses. This publication offers pharmaceutical and device companies a unique opportunity to deliver marketing and educational messages to a highly qualified audience, says Matt Holland, Group Publisher, Nursing and Urology Groups, Advanstar Communications Inc. A New Consultancy, NeoCortex, is Launched NeoCortex Consulting Group Inc. has been formed as a consultancy dedicated to helping advertising and public relations agencies win new business pitches. Based in New York, the consultancy also works with agencies in New Jersey and California. NeoCortex develops pitch and product strategies, provides on-site pitch process management, and coaches individuals and groups for greater presentation success. NeoCortex’s founder, Rob Buccino, is a 27-year advertising industry veteran. He most recently was executive VP and director of corporate development at Grey Healthcare Group. While there, he managed new business pitches that won assignments from Pfizer, Wyeth, Forest Laboratories, Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sanofi-Aventis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and AstraZeneca. StoneBridge Pharma Formed to Pursue Overlooked Opportunities StoneBridge Pharma LLC is a new player in the specialty pharmaceutical sector. The company’s goal is to partner with other pharmaceutical, drug-development, and delivery companies; active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturers; and contract manufacturers to help those organizations get extended returns from their intellectual property. The company helps partners throughout a product’s life cycle, from the time of initial development, to launching new delivery methods and formulations for proven compounds, to providing relaunch of late life-cycle products. “There are many companies with proven, reliable brands that are nearing the end of their natural product life cycle,” says Rick Coupon, StoneBridge Pharma’s director of marketing. “Typically, these companies choose to dedicate their resources to new products and no longer promote their mature brands. Others developed products, but never had the resources to maximize their sales.” StoneBridge Pharma’s initial ventures are in ophthalmology and gastroenterology, where they are focused on launching products with $5 million to $50 million sales potential. StoneBridge Pharma creates partnerships to revitalize necessary, useful treatments and keep them in the minds of doctors and patients, says Robert Sykora, R.Ph., VP of Sales and Marketing at StoneBridge Pharma LLC. M&A Activity Discovery Holding Co. (DHC), Englewood, Colo., has acquired AccentHealth, a health-media network providing healthy-lifestyle programming that is delivered to more than 19 million health-conscious consumers each month. DHC is a holding company for its wholly owned subsidiary, Ascent Media Group LLC (AMG), a Santa Monica, Calif.-based provider of comprehensive outsourced solutions to the media and entertainment industries. AccentHealth, New York, continues to be lead by Richard Ruth, CEO, and Edith Hodkinson, executive VP of sales and marketing. For more information, visit discovery.com. M|C Communications, Boston, a provider of continuing medical education under the Pri-Med brand, has acquired Physician’s Weekly, a multimedia company providing news and educational materials to both physicians and patients. Physician’s Weekly is a privately held company based in Englishtown, N.J., where it will continue to operate as a separate division of M|C Communications. For more information, visit mc-comm.com. PharmaTech Solutions Inc. (PTS), Wilmington, N.C., has signed a letter of intent to acquire Realinterface Expert Systems Inc., a specialized software applications company based in Annapolis, Md. PTS is an integrated clinical development services company. The companies are comarketing each other’s products under terms of an existing agreement. For more information, visit pharmatechsolutions.com. SuperGen Inc., Dublin, Calif., has agreed to acquire Montigen Pharmaceuticals Inc., a privately held oncology-focused drug discovery and development company based in Salt Lake City. SuperGen, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to acquiring, developing, and commercializing therapies for solid tumors, hematological malignancies, and blood disorders, will pay Montigen stockholders $9 million in cash and $9 million in shares of SuperGen common stock upon closing of the transaction. SuperGen will pay the Montigen stockholders an additional $22 million in common stock, pending achievement of specific regulatory milestones. For more information, visit supergen.com. United BioSource Corp. (UBC), Bethesda, Md., has acquired MetaWorks Inc., Medford, Mass., a leading provider of systematic reviews and meta-analyses to inform development, marketing, and regulatory decision-making for healthcare products and services. UBC delivers evidence-based solutions to enhance the medical and commercial potential of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, and diagnostics. For more information, visit unitedbiosource.com. Ventiv Health Inc., Somerset, N.J., has acquired Adheris Inc., a Burlington, Mass.-based provider of patient-compliance and persistency programs. Ventiv, which provides commercialization services to the global pharmaceutical and life-sciences industries, acquired Adheris for $60 million in cash and stock, plus earn-out payments for exceeding specified financial targets. For more information, visit ventiv.com. What’s New on the Shelves BioMoney Directory, 2006 edition, published by MaxiVest Ltd., is a 208-page volume providing contact information on more than 600 venture capitalists, private-equity management firms, corporate investors, and more in the United States, Europe, Israel, and Asia. The directory includes information about who funds the life sciences, what they look for, their geographic preferences, and how much they invest. For more information, visit biomoneydir.com. Current Global Automated Regulatory Database (cGARD), from Compliance Control Ltd., brings together accessible information that can be used to assist companies in coordinating corporate regulatory information. cGARD offers easy access to current global regulations, delivers flexible searching and reporting capabilities, and enables rapid keyword searches based on industry-defined compliance subject areas. The product is available on CD and can be installed on laptop computers, desktop computers, or internal networks. Online access to regular updates is available for registered users. For more information, visit compliance-control.com. New Specialty Magazine is Launched FFF Enterprises Inc. and its specialty pharmacy services division, NuFactor, have launched a new magazine, IG Living — the only magazine dedicated to healthcare consumers treated with immune globulin and their caregivers. The publication was created to help patients in the immune globulin community learn from one another and from healthcare professionals, as well as consider new treatment options, and in the process make their lives easier. The bimonthly magazine launched in February and is distributed free to patients and their physicians’ offices, including practices in immunology, neurology, and hematology-oncology. Regular features include articles from consumers treated with immune globulin, product and manufacturer news, healthcare information, immune globulin treatment options, community and reimbursement news, and resources for healthy living. “Immune globulin is an astounding product that can be used to treat a wide variety of conditions, ” says Patrick M. Schmidt, president and CEO of FFF Enterprises and publisher of IG Living. “Tens of thousands of U.S. patients rely on immune globulin, and IG Living is the first meeting place for all of them. We look forward to learning from them as they share their stories with one another,” he says. Follow up Advanstar Communications Inc., New York, is a worldwide media company providing integrated marketing solutions for the fashion, life-sciences, and powersports industries. For more information, visit advanstar.com. FFF Enterprises Inc., Temecula, Calif., delivers solutions in biopharmaceutical management and distribution, health information management, and consumer health services. For more information, visit fffenterprises.com. Indicia Medical Education LLC, North Wales, Pa., develops and manages certified educational activities for healthcare professionals. For more information, visit nexuscominc.com. IneXel Medical Strategy and Communications, Lawrenceville, N.J., a company of Interlink Healthcare Communications and part of the Lowe Healthcare Network, handles medical education activities for pharmaceutical clients. For more information, visit interlinkhc.com. Interlink Healthcare Communications, Lawrenceville, N.J., is a full-service healthcare advertising/ communications agency that is part of the Lowe Healthcare Network, an Interpublic Group Company. For more information, visit interlinkhc.com. NeoCortex Consulting Group Inc., New York, is a consultancy specializing in new business development practices and procedures, with extensive experience in the healthcare communications industry. For more information, visit pitchsupport.blogspot.com. Nexus Communications Inc., North Wales, Pa., is a medical communications agency. For more information, visit nexuscominc.com. StoneBridge Pharma LLC, Duluth, Ga., specializes in the sales and marketing of branded prescription products and medical devices for use in the gastroenterology and ophthalmology specialties. For more information, visit stonebridgepharma.com.