Diagnostics

At $24.9 billion in revenues, the Diagnostics industry is projected to deliver another year of double-digit growth, following an 11% gain (in actual dollars) in 2003. Several factors contribute to its well-being, favorable currency exchange rates, continuing growth in molecular testing (NAT) and glucose monitoring (combined these account for 27% of industry sales), and worsening labor shortages that spur demand for lab automation and work-cell consolidation.

Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. has entered into a definitive licensing agreement with privately held Rex Medical, L.P. for exclusive worldwide rights to market and distribute the Option(TM) inferior vena cava (IVC) filter, a medical device that is implanted into the body's inferior vena cava to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE). Angiotech and Rex Medical will be exhibiting at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) to be held in Washington, DC from March 15-18, 2008. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Roche NimbleGen Inc., and Affymetrix Inc. announced that they have expanded the terms of the license to a number of Affymetrix patents originally granted in October 2006. The expanded license now provides certain diagnostic rights for array-based DNA copy number analysis and array-based re-sequencing in addition to covering the manufacture, use and sale of nucleic acid microarrays and related products and services in the research field.

Immunalysis continues to choose Tecan as its automation partner. Together, the two companies provide a comprehensive solution for drug testing, combining the expertise of Immunalysis in ELISA testing panels with Tecan's unsurpassed automated liquid handling workstations. Immunalysis develops and produces assay panels that screen for 32 drugs or drug classes, such as cannabinoids, barbiturates, opiates, and benzodiazepines, across a range of biological matrices, including blood, urine, oral fluid, hair, tissue extracts and vitreous humor.

VIVUS Inc. and Medpace Inc. entered into a Master Services Agreement and three Task Orders thereunder pursuant to which Medpace will perform certain clinical research services in connection with the Phase 3 clinical trials through 2009 for Qnexa, the Company's investigational product candidate for the treatment of obesity.

MZT Holdings Inc. and Sysmex Corp. announced that they have formed a partnership to develop an automated Pap smear test. This new approach will use Sysmex's flow cytometry technology and Matritech's patented NMP179 protein biomarker to perform highly accurate cell-by-cell analysis for cervical cancer.

ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. has signed the definitive agreement for development of two hyperimmunes with Kedrion S.p.A. The first product to be developed will target the Hepatitis B Hyperimmune market which is currently estimated in Europe and in the U.S. to be at $200 million and is expected to be at $400 million by 2015. Kedrion will provide an upfront and milestone payments, as well as service fees to ProMetic amounting to $2 million over the next twelve months.

Lonza Group AG entered into a strategic partnership with Sanofi Pasteur in the area of cell culture vaccine production. The two parties have signed a technical service agreement related to the new cell-based influenza vaccine developed by sanofi pasteur. Under the agreement Lonza will provide sanofi pasteur with its expertise in mammalian cell culture operations.

Generex Biotechnology entered into an agreement with eResearchTechnology Inc. to supply equipment and provide central ECG services for the Company's Phase III trial.

Medivir has chosen the Waters Corp. Synapt HDMS System to hasten its drug discovery efforts in the area of protease inhibitor research and eventually help patients who suffer with herpes, hepatitis C, HIV, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and high blood pressure. Installed in June, the Synapt High Definition Mass Spectrometry (MS) System is yielding significant information that is assisting with the decision-making process and helping Medivir reach its drug discovery milestones. In terms of helping Medivir advance its research, the Synapt HDMS System carries great potential.