A Medical Device Daily Staff Report

HemCon (Portland, Oregon) reported that it has received an order worth nearly $10 million from the U.S. Army for its hemorrhage control bandage.

“The U.S. Army has been using the HemCon bandage for over three years now. In that time, the bandage has been credited in saving over 100 American soldiers,” said HemCon president and CEO John Morgan. “Providing bandages to each soldier demonstrates the Army's commitment to our soldiers and its confidence in the HemCon bandage.”

The company said its recent facility expansion will ensure rapid fulfillment of this latest military order. This expansion allows HemCon to continue to satisfy military demand while concurrently developing and manufacturing products for the emergency medicine, surgical, wound care and international markets.

HemCon develops dressings and wound care technologies to control bleeding and infection resulting from trauma or surgery.

Vidacare (San Antonio), manufacturer of the EZ-IO product system, said it has received a $750,000 small business innovative research (SBIR) Phase II award to research “Novel Methods for Delivery of Lifesaving Fluids and Medications” for the U.S. Air Force.

The EZ-IO system is a solution for immediate vascular access when conventional IV access is challenging or impossible.

Under the SBIR award, Vidacare will develop its next generation manual and lithium-battery powered intraosseous (IO) drivers for the system. IO infusion provides a direct conduit to the blood stream through the bone, and is gaining widespread acceptance as an alternate route to administer IV drugs and fluids.

Both of the newly developed EZ-IO devices will be lightweight, rugged, compact and air-worthy, enabling the practical use of reliable IO access in military operations, the company said.

The physical characteristics of these devices will permit their use in several anatomical sites including the tibia and the humeral head.

The EZ-IO product system is currently being used by the U.S. armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in other locations.

“The military has an acute need for devices like the EZ-IO that enable immediate vascular access in wounded soldiers and allies under combat casualty situations. The ability to rapidly administer IV fluids, blood products, antibiotics and pain medications in combat situations can mean the difference between life and death,” said Philip Faris Jr., CEO of Vidacare.

Vidacare's research will be conducted in both civilian and military settings beginning this month.

In other grants news:

• The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis (CPF; San Jose, California) reported that it has partnered with the American Thoracic Society (ATS; New York), a leading professional organization for pulmonary, critical care and sleep physicians, to jointly fund a $100,000, two-year research grant to be awarded in January 2007. The CPF is exhibiting at the ATS meeting in San Diego from May 21-23.

The American Thoracic Society/ Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis Partnership Research Award in Pulmonary Fibrosis will be awarded to a U.S.-based investigator working on translational studies in pulmonary fibrosis. The research award will be granted by the ATS Scientific Advisory Committee through a rigorous peer-review application process. The initial deadline for applications is Monday, June 19.

“The need for improved funding for IPF-related research can only be met through partnerships such as this,” said Marvin Schwarz, MD, chairman of the CPF and professor at the James C. Campbell Pulmonary Medicine Department at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (Denver). “We are proud to partner with the ATS and pool our resources to make such a grant available.”

Potential applicants should submit a letter of intent using the LOI application that is downloadable from the ATS web site located at http://www.thoracic.org/sections/research/new-research-program.html. Letters should be submitted via the ATS web site by 11 p.m. EDT on June 19.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a lung disorder characterized by a progressive scarring – known as fibrosis – and deterioration of the lungs, which slowly robs its victims of their ability to breathe. About 83,000 Americans suffer from IPF, which is the most prevalent of a classification of lung disorders known as interstitial lung diseases. There is currently no known cause or cure for IPF, nor is there an FDA-approved treatment.