Issue 4  Volume 1 April 20, 2007

Breath of Fresh Air

PARI Respiratory's Richmond operation is developing a device that could bring welcome relief, and better health, to millions of patients with breathing tubes. 

by Peter Galuszka

A patient lies in a hospital bed following surgery. A plastic tube runs from the bedside wall carrying oxygenated gas into his nose. The gas is dry and cold. The patient’s throat becomes parched but he can’t easily take a drink of water. His nasal passages become tender and congested, but there’s no relief.

Worse, breathing under such conditions can constitute a health hazard. If the air is too dry, cilia in the lungs become paralyzed, making it harder to move mucous out of the way. If smaller passages become clogged, the patient has a harder time breathing and could die.

For some time, medical technology companies have tried to humidify and warm the gases but the process has been hard to control. Now, PARI Respiratory Equipment Co., operating in an industrial park in Chesterfield County, is about to field test a small new device that can offer humidified and heated gases to patients in ways that offer consistency and comfort.

The device, called a C-Force, looks like a see-through Christmas tree ornament and is connected to the breathing tube not far from the patient’s nose or mouth. It can rest easily on his chest while maintaining constant water moisture and temperature levels in the gas that a patient breathes.

When PARI’s device goes beyond Beta testing, scheduled in about two months’ time, it could herald a new era in therapeutic-inhaled gases. “You can turn the temperature and humidity up or down,” says Norman Tiffin, PARI Respiratory Equipment’s vice president of marketing. “With previous systems, clinicians had no control over these variables independently." More.

Philip Morris redefines the tobacco company in an anti-smoking age
 

Editor's note: This article in Virginia Business magazine describes the tie-in of Phillip Morris USA's Richmond R&D facility to the company's broader corporate strategy.

by Jack Milligan

Ask American Cancer Society lobbyist Wendy Selig who her staunchest allies are in the battle to give the Food & Drug Administration control over tobacco products and she probably wouldn’t mention Philip Morris USA, the nation’s largest cigarette manufacturer.

In fact, Henrico County-based Philip Morris has backed tobacco regulation legislation in Congress since 2004 — a position that would seem to make as much sense as a fox calling for safer chicken coops. But Selig hasn’t forgotten that Philip Morris and other tobacco companies once challenged FDA regulation all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Therefore, she’s a little wary of the company’s change of heart. “Philip Morris has its own reasons for doing this,” she says. “They’ve made some sort of business decision that this is in their best interests.”

Philip Morris’ support for FDA regulation is just one example of how it’s charting a different path from the rest of Big Tobacco. The longtime tagline for its Virginia Slims cigarettes now aptly describes the company, “You’ve come a long way, baby.”

As anti-smoking sentiment has grown across the country in recent years, many workplaces, restaurants and hotel chains have banned smoking, and the public has no patience with tobacco companies that don’t acknowledge the harm that cigarettes cause. More.

Top Stories...

CBI Completes Mimotopes Acquisition

Commonwealth Biotechnologies, Inc., a life sciences research and development company, has finalized the purchase of Mimotopes Pty Ltd, an Australian maker of research-grade peptide synthesis products. The combined companies, with a trained sales and marketing force across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, are positioned to compete in the $5 billion market for drug discovery outsourcing.

Mimotopes’ Executive Director Dr. Paul D’Sylva was appointed to chief executive officer of the new entity, bringing capital raising, financial management, and business development experience. Said Chairman and COO of CBI Richard Freer, “The synergies between the companies, the addition of new management skills, partnerships with major life science companies, and a global sales presence, are all reasons to be optimistic for the future.” (February 12, 2007) More.

Insmed Restructures after Settling Patent Dispute

Insmed Inc. has restructured operations in the wake of settling litigation with Tercica Inc. and Genentech Inc. Insmed will eliminate its sales and marketing group, reducing its workforce of 150 by 34 percent. The production at Insmed’s Colorado manufacturing site was also scaled back to reflect the reduced drug product requirement.
 
The projected savings are expected to extend the company’s $24.1 million in cash reserve as it refocuses on clinical trials for HIV-Related Conditions (HARS) and Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy (MMD). Stated CEO Geoffrey Allan: “The end of litigation removes a cloud from the Company’s future and the consequent restructuring allows for an improved financial position.” (March 7, 2007) More.