Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Baxa Corporation Introduces New Enteral Dispensers to Prevent Tubing Misconnections


Englewood, CO, December 5, 2006 -- Baxa Corporation announces the launch of the first medication dispensers designed only for enteral feeding at the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting held this week in Anaheim, California. The new Baxa Exacta-Med® Enteral Dispensers feature a unique dispenser tip that cannot connect to a luer needle or needleless IV system. Their distinctive enteral marking, orange lettering and stripe coordinate with enteral tube sets; making them the safe choice for enteral fluid drug delivery, particularly in pediatric and neonatal applications where the majority of the oral and enteral doses are provided through a gastric tube.

On April 3, 2006, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) issued a Sentinel Event Alert warning of the significant risk posed by 'tubing and catheter misconnection errors.' In the Alert, JCAHO states that a standard luer syringe should "never" be used for oral medications or enteral feedings.

According to Katie Calabrese, neonatal nurse practitioner and Baxa product manager, "In addition to JCAHO, the UK National Health Service and the US Institute for Safe Medication Practice, among other recognized authorities, recommend the use of specialty dispensers for all oral liquid doses. Adding the distinctive coloring to the product further differentiates it for enteral applications only." The new Exacta-Med Dispensers, available in 20, 35 and 60 mL sizes, are individually packaged to reduce the opportunity for contamination prior to filling and administration.

Baxa enteral dispensers are syringe-like devices with a non-luer tip that will not accept a hypodermic needle or actuate a needless IV access port. They are designed specifically to provide safe and accurate delivery of enteral liquids, reducing the possibility of wrong-route administration through a patient's IV or epidural line.

Baxa Corporation introduced the Exacta-Med Oral Dispenser in 1975. Latex-free Baxa enteral dispensers fit the needs of pharmacy, nursing and outpatient caregivers for safe medication administration. The wider tip design of the Exacta-Med Dispensers was developed in cooperation with representatives and customers from large children's hospitals.
Baxa focuses on providing technology to health-system pharmacies that improves patient safety, reduces the risk of medication errors and facilitates compliance to USP, JCAHO and other regulatory requirements.

About Baxa Corporation

Baxa, a customer-focused medical device company, provides innovative, solution-based technologies for fluid handling and delivery. Its systems and devices promote the safe and efficient preparation, handling, packaging, and administration of fluid medications. Key products include Rapid-Fill™ Automated Syringe Fillers, Exacta-Med® Oral Dispensers, MicroFuse® Syringe Infusers, Repeater™ Pharmacy Pumps, and Exacta-Mix™ and MicroMacro™ Multi-Source Automated Compounders; used worldwide in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Privately held, Baxa Corporation has subsidiaries and sales offices in Canada and the United Kingdom; direct representation in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands; and distribution partners worldwide. Further information is available at http://www.baxa.com/.

Countrywide Launches Auto Insurance in Colorado

Denver, CO, Nov 27, 2006 - Countrywide Financial Corporation (NYSE:CFC) - America's #1 home loan lender*-today announced that Countrywide Insurance Group's widely-anticipated auto insurance product is now available to consumers in the state of Colorado.

Colorado residents can now obtain an auto insurance quote from Countrywide Insurance Services, Inc. by calling a licensed auto insurance agent at (800) 669-6656. Residents can learn more about home warranty, homeowners, renters, and term life insurance products through these same licensed insurance agents or by visiting any Colorado financial center.

In addition to sophisticated rating technology that could potentially bring Colorado consumers better coverage and pricing than they can secure with their existing carriers, Countrywide is also offering discounts to current Countrywide customers that could potentially save them as much as 23% off of regular rates.

"In addition to helping Americans realize the dream of home ownership, Countrywide helps protect that dream through a wide variety of insurance offerings," said Bob James, president and chief executive officer of Countrywide Insurance Group. "Introducing our own auto insurance product allows us to tailor our offering to meet insurance needs that customers have shared with us. We believe that this knowledge, along with our A.M. Best "A" rating** and Countrywide's strong brand and established physical presence in Colorado, will help us attract new customers as well."

Countrywide Insurance Group will introduce the new auto insurance product in up to 25 additional states by the end of 2007.

Countrywide Insurance Services has helped a half million customers secure the right insurance products to protect their homes, apartments, cars, and other valuables for more than 35 years.

About Countrywide Insurance GroupCountrywide Insurance Group (CIG) makes available a wide variety of institutional, commercial, and personal lines insurance products to financial institutions, businesses, and consumers. CIG companies have demonstrated a commitment to policyholders and business partners for decades and provide a strong foundation for the delivery of new products through financial institutions, independent producers, and a full-service agency and commercial brokerage.

* America's #1 home loan lender as ranked for 2005 by Inside Mortgage Finance (Jan. 27, 2006), Copyright 2006.
**Property and casualty insurance companies of the Countrywide Insurance Group (also known as Balboa Insurance Group) are rated "A" (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company, an insurance rating and information service. An "A" rating represents A.M. Best's opinion that the underwriter has an excellent ability to meet ongoing obligations to policyholders.
For more information, visit http://insurance.countrywide.com.

ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals Wins the Second Annual Faegre & Benson Venture Showcase Award, Presented at BioWest 2006


Denver, CO, August 25, 2006 -- ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals (Aurora) won the second annual Faegre & Benson Venture Showcase Award at BioWest 2006. The announcement is made by Chris Shapard, bioscience director at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), who says the $10,000 Venture Showcase Award was again provided by the Faegre & Benson law firm and announced at the Colorado Bioscience Association (CBSA) Awards banquet held Thursday evening at the Colorado Convention Center.

ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals is a startup phase biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic products that target apoptotic cell death pathways found in tumor cells and proliferating immune cells (lymphocytes). The Company was formed in 2006 to capitalize on the intellectual property of its Founding Scientists and University of Colorado Cancer Center members, Richard C. Duke, Ph.D., Donald Bellgrau, Ph.D., Paul A. Bunn, M.D., Daniel Chan, Ph.D., Lajos Gera, Ph.D., Jaime Modiano, D.V.M., Ph.D. and John Stewart, Ph.D. Putting it most simply, ApopLogic induces cancer cells and autoimmune lymphocytes to commit suicide. Therapeutic products include:


  • Breceptin: A novel neuropeptide growth factor receptor antagonist that targets a broad range of cancers.

  • Cytonil: A proprietary combination of a cell-type specific growth factor and a cell signaling agonist to treat Sezary leukemia, cutaneous T cell lymphoma and psoriasis.

  • Fasaret: A proprietary therapy based on Fas ligand, an apoptotic cell death-inducing molecule with unique pro-inflammatory properties, for the treatment of cancers.
Building on strong pre-clinical data, ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals is outlining detailed clinical development plans to rapidly move Breceptin and Fasaret into phase 1 human clinical trials that could begin within 12 months of series A financing.

ApopLogic Pharmaceuticals, LLC is a startup phase biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic products that target apoptotic cell death pathways found in cancers, leukemias and lymphomas. The Company was formed in 2006 to capitalize on the intellectual property of its Founding Scientists and University of Colorado Cancer Center members, Richard C. Duke, Ph.D., Donald Bellgrau, Ph.D., Paul A. Bunn, M.D., Daniel Chan, Ph.D., Lajos Gera, Ph.D., Jaime Modiano, D.V.M., Ph.D. and John Stewart, Ph.D. Put most simply, ApopLogic is inducing rapidly dividing cells to commit suicide. Visit: http://www.apoplogic.com/.