Business Bits

By Hacienda Network Staff Writer

Roche Molecular Diagnostics

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has approved a new product from Hacienda's Roche Molecular Diagnostics which will allow doctors to quantify the amount of Hepatitis C RNA in a patient's blood. Dubbed the COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HCV Test by the company, the assays will help physicians establish a baseline level of hepatitis C infection and to serially monitor viral load levels and treatment effectiveness in patients on therapy.

"This new Roche test enables laboratories to deliver reliable healthcare information with ease and allows physicians to more efficiently monitor their patients and improve treatment outcomes," says Daniel O'Day, president and CEO of Roche Molecular Diagnostics. "We are pleased to offer this new solution for laboratories and physicians to optimize their turnaround time, workflow and patient care with simultaneous processing of HIV and HCV patient samples.
Sanarus Medical

"Sanarus Medical's Visica 2 Treatment System has been chosen for evaluation in a National Cancer Institute study, to be conducted by the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, entitled "A Phase II Trial Exploring the Success of Cryoablation Therapy in the Treatment of Invasive Breast Carcinoma.

"Cryoablation is a minimally invasive, non-surgical procedure that uses extreme cold to destroy tumors. The Sanarus Visica System has predominately been used in the cryoablation of non-cancerous tumors called fibroadenomas since its initial FDA market clearance in March of 2002. This office-based procedure, which usually takes less than 20 minutes, involves placing a small needle into the center of the tumor using ultrasound guidance and subsequently freezing and killing the tumor.

"Cryoablation has been used effectively for years to treat a number of medical conditions, including benign breast tumors, so it is a natural progression to study its use in the treatment of breast cancer," says Gary Levine, MD, Medical Director at Hoag Breast Care Center in Newport Beach. "We are very encouraged about the promising initial results in our pilot study and believe further research is warranted in order to develop and refine this potential breakthrough breast cancer treatment.
Equity Administration Solutions, Inc.

"Equity Administration Solutions, Inc. (EASi), a Hacienda developer of independent stock plan management software, has exceeded its 18-month business plan by becoming cash flow positive in the third quarter. The company achieved this milestone thanks to sales more than doubling over last year, exceeding expenses by 15 percent.

"Investors were anticipating we would reach cash flow break even in third quarter based on projections made 18 months ago," explained Dan Katzman, EASi's CFO. "Instead, the maturity of the product and caliber of EASi's seasoned sales force combined to drive unprecedented results."

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November Business Bits

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