Manufacturer NewsWire

Legal

Abbott to Settle Enteral-Nutrition Lawsuit: One subject of an industry-wide investigation into the sales and marketing practices of several enteral-nutrition manufacturers, Abbot Laboratories’ Ross Products Division, Abbott Park, Ill., has announced plans to settle related civil and criminal allegations, for $622 million. “[The company] will take a charge in the second quarter of 2003 of $622 million,” Abbott said June 26. “This will result in an expected one-time charge of 34 cents per share, with no ongoing financial impact to the company.”

Court Issues Preliminary Injunction in Innomed Trade-Secrets Case: A Florida district judge in May issued a preliminary injunction ordering the manufacturer of the Spiritus nasal cannula interface — Worldwide Medical Technologies — to stop selling the product until a lawsuit brought by Nasal-Aire manufacturer Innomed had been settled.

The lawsuit charges Worldwide Medical with misappropriating Innomed’s confidential drawings and trade secrets to manufacture unlawfully the Spiritus, whose design allegedly copies the design of the Nasal-Aire. Seeking “unspecified money charges,” Innomed hopes to halt forever the manufacture of the Spiritus and any “substantially similar” product. Currently, Conshohocken, Pa.-based Viasys Healthcare, which is not a party in the lawsuit, markets the Spiritus.

HomeCare Calls For Award Nominations

HomeCare is accepting nominations for the magazine’s Caring Awards for 2003. These prestigious awards honor providers and organizations whose dedication and commitment — in any aspect of the industry — define the “caring” that HME is all about.

Nominations may recognize a lifetime of quiet, dedicated service to a small community miles from the nearest metropolis, or may point out a person or business whose pursuit of excellence in service or advocacy has made a national impact. A panel of industry professionals, including representatives from HomeCare‘s Editorial Advisory Board and previous Caring Award recipients, will judge the entries.

To nominate an individual, business or industry organization, readers should complete the form on page 55 of this issue and return it to HomeCare by Aug. 29, 2003. Readers also may visit www.homecaremag.com to download a PDF version of the form. HomeCare will announce Caring Award recipients at the Medtrade show in Atlanta, Oct. 9 to 11.

Noteworthy

Lifestyle Mobility Purchases East Coast Distribution Center: St. Petersburg, Fla.-based Lifestyle Mobility, a distributor of scooters, walkers, wheelchairs and other aids for patients, has announced the purchase of a 64,000-square-foot East Coast distribution center. “We are pleased to have this larger East Coast warehouse to go along with our new West Coast distribution center in Medford, Ore.,” said Darrin Horst, Lifestyle’s president.

CareCentric Included in Top 100 List: Healthcare Informatics, a company that reports health care information-technology revenues for U.S. companies, has named Atlanta-based CareCentric one of the Top 100 companies of 2003. CareCentric ranked 76th on Healthcare Informatics’ list.

Johnson & Johnson to Market Wound-Management Line: Johnson & Johnson Wound Management, New Brunswick, N.J., has agreed to be the exclusive global marketer for London-based Advanced Medical Solutions Group’s alginate wound care dressings, which contain silver and are part of the SilverCel brand.

Skyway Joins Medco Group: Sarasota, Fla.-based Skyway Machine of Redding, Calif., manufacturer of composite TuffWheels, has joined the Medco Group marketing alliance. More information about Skyway and Medco is available at www.thezandeegroup.com.

For breaking news, go to www.homecaremonday.com, the electronic news service of the home medical equipment industry.