GT Advanced Technologies, Inc. (GTAT) Announces Availability of New Hydrochlorination Product

GT Advanced Technologies is a diversified technology company with innovative crystal growth equipment and solutions for the global solar, LED, and electronics industries. The company’s products accelerate the adoption of new advanced materials that improve performance and lower the cost of manufacturing.

The company announced today the availability of its new high-volume hydrochlorination solution capable of producing enough trichlorosilane (TCS) from a single hydrochlorination fluid bed reactor to support polysilicon facilities that are generating more than 10,000 metric tons yearly in capacity.

GT Advanced Technologies’ new solution lowers the cost of running these types of plants by 20% over current TCS production solutions. It does so by eliminating the need for multiple hydrochlorination fluid bed reactors. The company’s offering also includes its next generation hydrochlorination heater, which delivers further cost savings by raising conversion in the hydrochlorination fluid bed reactor from 27% to 30%.

Its latest polysilicon technology product offerings, including the new hydrochlorination solution and its SDR600 reactor capable of producing over 600 metric tons of polysilicon annually, allow for the production of polysilicon at cash costs of less than $14 per kilogram. This latest offering should help keep GT Advanced Technologies as the market leader in the sector. The company’s technology currently supports over 50,000 metric tons of annualized global polysilicon production.

For additional information about GT Advanced Technologies and all of its products, please visit www.gtat.com

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China Biologic, Inc. (CBPO) Announces Receipt of GMP Certificate for Human Coagulation Factor VIII

Yesterday, China Biologic Products announced that Shandong Taibang Biological Products Co. Ltd., its indirectly owned subsidiary, has received good manufacturing practice (GMP) certification from the China State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for Human Coagulation Factor VIII (FVIII). The SFDA previously granted manufacturing approval to Taibang for FVIII in June 2012. Now possessing both manufacturing approval and the GMP certificate, Taibang plans to immediately begin commercially manufacturing FVIII products.

FVIII is widely used for the treatment of hemophilia A. There is a substantial hemophilia patient population in China – estimated at between 60,000-100,000 persons afflicted and around 10,000 patients registered – who require lifelong treatment with medication. Only three domestic companies currently produce plasma-based FVIII products. In order to mitigate the situation of China’s significant under-supply of coagulation products, Taibang is in the process of building additional manufacturing line capacity for FVIII.

Executives at Taibang are encouraged by the receipt of both manufacturing approval and the GMP certificate, and with the addition of coagulation factor products, the company is pleased to now offer all three major categories of blood products to the market in China. Supplying FVIII will substantially improve the market penetration of the company’s plasma-based offering and further strengthen Taibang’s competitive position as one of the top plasma-based biopharmaceutical companies in China.

A leading fully integrated plasma-based biopharmaceutical company in China, China Biologic offers products that are used as critical therapies during medical emergencies and for the prevention and treatment of life-threatening diseases and immune-deficiency related diseases. Headquartered in Beijing, the company manufactures more than 20 plasma-based products through its indirect majority-owned subsidiaries, Shandong Taibang Biological Products Co. Ltd. and Guiyang Dalin Biologic Technologies Co. Ltd. China Biologic also has an equity investment in Xi’an Huitian Blood Products Co. Ltd. China Biologic sells its products to hospitals and other healthcare facilities in China.

For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.chinabiologic.com

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iParty Corp. (IPT) Releases Third Quarter 2012 Financial Results

iParty, a party goods retailer, reported financial results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2012, which ended on September 29, 2012. Third Quarter 2012 highlights include:

• Consolidated revenues of $16.9 million for the third quarter of 2012, which is a 2.6% increase compared to the third quarter of 2011.
• Comparable store sales increase of 1.2% for the third quarter of 2012, and 2.9% for the nine month period then ended, as compared to the applicable prior year periods.
• Consolidated net loss for the third quarter of 2012 was $2.2 million, or $0.09 per basic and diluted share, compared to consolidated net loss of $2.8 million, or $0.12 per basic and diluted share, for the third quarter in 2011.
• Adjusted EBITDA net loss for the third quarter of 2012 of $1.8 million, compared to Adjusted EBITDA net loss in the third quarter of 2011 of $2.0 million, on a non-GAAP basis.
• The opening of one new full line party store in August and one new full line party store immediately after the close of the third quarter.

Operating Results

In addition to the highlights above, consolidated gross profit margin was 34.8% for the third quarter of 2012 compared to a gross profit margin of 34.3% for the same period in 2011. Adjusted EBITDA net loss, which adjusts the EBITDA net loss for the effect in 2011 of the Tropical Storm Irene flood loss, was $1.8 million, compared to $2.0 million in the third quarter of 2011.

As for the nine-month year-to-date period ended September 29, 2012:

• Consolidated revenues were $52.2 million, a 2.0% increase compared to $51.2 million for the first nine months of 2011. Consolidated revenues for the first nine months of 2012 included a 2.9% increase in comparable store sales from the year-ago period.
• Consolidated gross profit margin was 36.6% for the first nine months of 2012, compared to 37.0% for the comparable period in 2011.
• Consolidated net loss was $3.3 million, or $0.14 per basic and diluted share, compared to a consolidated net loss of $4.3 million, or $0.18 per basic and diluted share for the first nine months of 2011.
• EBITDA net loss was $2.2 million compared to an EBITDA net loss of $2.9 million for the first nine months of 2011 on a non-GAAP basis.

Sal Perisano, iParty’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “Historically our third quarter is a loss quarter as we prepare for the Halloween and holiday seasons. We are however pleased with the trends for the quarter which reflect an overall improvement in our business. Our sales, margins and operating expenses were all well within our expectations and our year to date net loss through the third quarter improved by approximately $1 million compared to last year. With our two new store fronts and what we believe to be a strong group of temporary Halloween stores, we have 64 storefronts open this Halloween, leaving us very well positioned entering into the all-important Halloween season and fourth quarter.”

iParty Corp., headquartered in Dedham, Massachusetts, is a party goods retailer that operates 54 iParty retail stores in New England and Florida, as well as an internet site for costume and related goods and party planning. iParty offers consumers a sophisticated, fun, and easy-to-use resource to help customize any party from birthday bashes to summer barbecues.

For more information, please visit www.iparty.com

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Zebra Technologies Corp. (ZBRA) Announces First Shipment of Ultra-Wideband Dart Systems

Zebra Technologies, a prominent leader in technologies that extend real-time visibility into business operations worldwide, announced the initial shipments of its new ultra-wideband (UWB) dart sensors and tags. The innovative products are Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) compliant. The Boeing Company, Shanghai URTLS Technology, and all other customers are utilizing the high performing Zebra IEEE UWB systems to track the location of assets, special purpose tools, and other equipment with incredible accuracy.

“Zebra’s IEEE Dart Ultra Wideband solutions ensure URTLS can deploy a truly global technology that can scale and interoperate with other IEEE compliant products. The development of the IEEE standard for UWB eliminates concerns about using proprietary solutions,” said Jinbo Yang, CEO of Shanghai URTLS Technology, a leading China-based real-time locating system (RTLS) company.

Zebra’s Dart UWB solutions allow users to precisely track personnel, assets, and transactions in real time with unmatched performance. With the IEEE compliant Zebra tags and sensors, used in concert with Zebra Dart hardware and software, end users have an unprecedented level of interoperability and can design real-time locating systems based on their specific needs.

The adoption of new technologies is frequently delayed by the typical lag of industry standards. This delay has a significant impact on organizations to gain greater insight into their value chains concerning new technologies such as UWB. A global study recently commissioned by Zebra Technologies discovered that 66 percent of people surveyed cited system integration as a substantial challenge for implementing Internet of Things (IoT) solutions. Announced in the spring of 2012, the new IEEE standard enables users to develop a system founded on an open, globally recognized standard.

For further information, please visit www.zebra.com

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BG Medicine, Inc. (BGMD) to Provide Galectin-3 Testing Services in China via an Agreement with Kindstar Diagnostics

BG Medicine, a life sciences company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel cardiovascular diagnostics, announced that it has signed an agreement with Kindstar Diagnostics Co. Ltd., the largest esoteric diagnostic testing business in China, enabling Kindstar to offer galectin-3 testing services for heart failure management in China. In the US, the BGM Galectin-3(R) test is cleared by the FDA as an aid in assessing the prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure.

Kindstar, a company that provides esoteric diagnostic testing services to hospitals and physicians in every province of China and provides laboratory testing services to over 2,000 Chinese hospitals, will offer galectin-3 testing services as part of its growing suite of cardiovascular tests. Kindstar has a broad reach and strong network in the burgeoning diagnostic testing market of China, which is in the process of reforming its health care system under its Healthy China 2020 initiative. While the country works to expand health care coverage for its 1.4 billion citizens, a substantial and increasing segment of the population currently pay out-of-pocket for essential medical services, which provides a ready market for diagnostic testing services like galectin-3 testing.

“We are excited to be partnering with Kindstar, the largest diagnostics lab in China, to further expand the footprint of galectin-3 testing throughout the world,” said Eric Bouvier, President and Chief Executive Officer of BG Medicine. “Cardiovascular disease is one of the most prevalent and debilitating diseases in China, affecting more than 230 million people, and we believe that Kindstar’s galectin-3 testing services will help to provide medical professionals with clinical information on fibrosis formation and cardiac remodeling, which are important biological processes in the development and progression of heart failure, while also helping to manage the costs of expanding health care coverage to more of China’s citizens.”

“Every minute six people in China die from cardiovascular disease, making it imperative that we do what we can to improve the lives of those affected,” said Dr. Shiang Huang, Chief Executive Officer of Kindstar Diagnostics. “We believe that clinically relevant and novel markers like galectin-3 will help medical professionals in China identify patients who are at greatest risk for developing heart failure, which assists us to focus the most attention on those who need it.”

In addition to this agreement with Kindstar in China, BG Medicine has marketing and distribution agreements with leading national and regional testing facilities in the United States, including Health Diagnostics Laboratory, Laboratory Corporation of America, Cleveland Heart Laboratory, Mayo, Atherotech and ARUP. BG Medicine has also partnered with leading diagnostic instrument manufacturers, including Abbott Laboratories, Alere, bioMerieux and Siemens, for the development and commercialization of automated versions of galectin-3 testing.

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Cardium Therapeutics, Inc. (CXM) Acquisition of To Go Brands Further Taps Growing Supplements Market

The recent acquisition by Cardium Therapeutics, a health sciences and regenerative medicine company, of To Go Brands, a private California-based nutraceutical company, is in line with Cardium’s strategy of accelerating the growth and development of their own MedPodium health supplements platform. MedPodium is Cardium’s portfolio of science-based nutraceuticals, metabolics, and aesthetics, designed to promote healthy lifestyle interests such as enhancing energy, cognition, mood, sleep, weight management, fitness, and aesthetics. The acquisition provides Cardium with a greatly expanded marketing and distribution network, together with an established line of compatible products.

To Go Brands has developed and sells 25 health supplement related products, including 100% natural antioxidant rich drink mixes with organic ingredients, in various forms for easy use, along with capsule-based dietary supplements. Their products are sold online, and in a wide range of retail stores, such as Kroger, Whole Foods, GNC, Hi-Health, Vitamin World, and many others. To Go Brands sales for the first 6 months of 2012 totaled $1.7 million.

The acquisition also brings Cardium an experienced management team with key contacts, and a successful record of developing and taking to market new health products through different channels. The agreement calls for To Go Brands to coordinate Cardium’s MedPodium line, using To Go Brands’ established logistics and distribution capabilities. They will also work with Cardium’s strategic investment in SourceOne Global Partners, a leading supplier of science-based ingredients and proprietary formulas to the national supplement and functional food and beverage industries.

Cardium CEO, Christopher J. Reinhard, commented on the growth of the supplements market: “According to a new industry report, U.S. supplement sales are estimated to total $11.5 billion in 2012 and are projected to reach $15.5 billion by 2017. The success of products like Five Hour Energy® have shown that the nutraceutical space has the potential to generate billion dollar products without the extensive regulatory and other hurdles biologics and pharmaceuticals face.”

For additional information, visit www.CardiumTHX.com

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Masimo Corp. (MASI): New Study Shows Pronto Has Similar Accuracy to Commonly-Used Point-of-Care Hematology Analyzer

Masimo is a global leader in innovative, non-invasive monitoring technologies that significantly improve patient care, helping solve “unsolvable” problems. One of the company’s instruments, Pronto, measures hemoglobin.

The company announced today that a new study published in Postgraduate Medicine demonstrates non-invasive total hemoglobin measurements from the Pronto have an accuracy similar to those of the most commonly used invasive point-of-care hematology analyzer, HemoCue 201+ from Quest Diagnostics, in outpatient settings.

Total hemoglobin is one of the most frequently ordered laboratory tests in hospitals, urgent care centers, physician offices, and public health clinics. Anemia, which is low hemoglobin concentration, is among the most common blood disorders in the United States. It affects an estimated 3.4 million Americans, according to the National Center of Health Statistics.

The chief medical officer at Masimo, Dr. Michael O’Reilly, said, “The accuracy of the Pronto provides clinicians a powerful, yet painless, tool to test total hemoglobin without many of the risks associated with conventional, invasive testing.” This should help all healthcare providers improve patient care and outcomes.

For additional information about Masimo, the Pronto, and other products, please visit www.masimo.com

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