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Comprehensive Care Corp. acquires lumbar belt rights
Tampa-based Comprehensive Care Corp. has acquired exclusive distribution rights to a patented product aimed at reducing depression in chronic back pain suffers.
The lumbar traction DDS belt is a designed to alleviate or significantly reduce lower back pain. It is expected to launch late this year or early in 2012. Users can wear the lumbar spinal decompression brace under their clothing to perform daily activities, including driving, walking and standing for long periods. Studies showed that, on average, 85% of patients who wore the brace saw signs of improvement in their lower back pain.
The agreement with Disc Disease Solutions Inc. grants CompCare the exclusive distribution rights in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico not only to CompCare's existing and future accounts, but also to pain and weight management clinics, the construction and moving industry and other businesses.
“There is a close association between depression and back pain,” Clark Marcus, CompCare's chairman and CEO, says in a press release. “Major clinical depression is four times more likely in those with chronic back pain, a group of people who often have feelings of despair and hopelessness, than in the general population. This product addresses the problem directly before it becomes yet another costly medical expense both in terms of medical care and prescription drugs.”
CompCare provides behavioral health, substance abuse and psychotropic pharmacy management services for managed care companies.
Romark Laboratories' study positive for new flu drug
Tampa-based Romark Laboratories has reported the positive results of a new clinical study of its new flu drug, NT-300 nitazoxanide at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
The clinical trial enrolled 624 patients at 74 outpatient primary care centers throughout the United States during the 2010-2011 flu season. It showed that influenza-infected patients treated with NT-300 for five days experienced a significant reduction in the time from beginning treatment to lessening of flu symptoms compared with influenza-infected patients receiving the placebo.
Roughly half of the influenza-infected patients enrolled in the U.S. clinical trial were infected with swine flu with 30% being infected with influenza B and 20% with influenza A subtype H3N2.
“These data are encouraging,” Jean-Francois Rossignol, chairman and chief science officer of Romark says in a press release. “We currently have only two drugs to treat influenza, both neuraminidase inhibitors, and resistance is a major concern. There is an urgent need for a new drug with a different mechanism of action for treating influenza.”
Romark plans to initiate another phase three clinical trial of NT-300 during the coming flu season and to seek FDA approval to market NT-300 for treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza. The company also plans to develop NT-300 for prevention of influenza and for treatment of influenza in special populations, including pediatric, geriatric patients and those with severe illness or underlying medical conditions.
NT-300 is an oral controlled release tablet that contains 300 mg of nitazoxanide, the first of a new class of small molecule drugs called thiazolides.
HSN Snookified for November Holiday special
Want to smell like Snooki? HSN is betting you do. The St. Petersburg-based multimedia retailer is partnering with The Jersey Shore celebrity Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi to launch her signature perfume called “Snooki by Nicole Polizzi.” HSN will also debut the reality TV star's new accessories line, which includes slippers, handbags, sunglasses and a version of her beloved stuffed “Crocodilly.”
The two-hour primetime event, “A Very Snooki Holiday Gift Special” will appear 8 p.m. on Nov. 10.
Jabil Circuit board buying back $100 million in stock
The board of directors of St. Petersburg-based Jabil Circuit Inc. has authorized the company to repurchase up to $100 million worth of shares of the company's common stock over the next 12 months. The shares will be bought in open market transactions at the company's discretion.
For its most recent quarter, ended Aug. 31, the company saw its profit nearly double, growing by 94.7% to $114.29 million (52 cents per diluted share) from $58.69 million (27 cents per diluted share) for the same quarter last year.
Jabil provides comprehensive electronics design, manufacturing and product management services to other electronics and technology companies.
Coastal Behavioral Healthcare hires new chief medical officer
Dr. Regina Robinson has been named chief medical officer of Sarasota-based Coastal Behavioral Healthcare Inc.
Robinson will provide operational oversight for medical services at Coastal and will also take an active role in the development and revision of policies and procedures and supervise and evaluate psychiatrists and other providers within the organization.
She comes to Coastal Behavioral Healthcare from the Department of Juvenile Justice's DeSoto Correctional facility, where she served as senior physician/psychiatrist from 2004 to 2011.
Coastal Behavioral Healthcare is a non-profit organization focused on providing mental health and addiction treatment, prevention and intervention in Sarasota, DeSoto, Lee and Charlotte counties.
Brooke Chase Associates assists in lumber brand sale
Sarasota-based Brooke Chase Associates Inc. M&A Referral Services acted as an intermediary for the $108 million sale of the Weyerhaeuser NR Co.'s Northwest Hardwoods division.
The 1,000-employee Northwest Hardwoods is one of the top North American hardwood lumber brands. It is being sold to a private equity firm in New York City.
HMA, Integris Health discussing hospital joint venture
Integris Health Inc. has chosen to negotiate exclusively with Naples-based Health Management Associates Inc. on a definitive agreement to create a joint venture for five Oklahoma hospitals.
The Oklahoma hospitals being discussed include Integris Blackwell Regional Hospital in Blackwell, Integris Clinton Regional Hospital in Clinton; Integris Marshall County Medical Center in Madill, Integris Mayes County Medical Center in Pryor and Integris Seminole Medical Center in Seminole. Combined, the five hospitals generated $95 million in revenue during the last year.
Integris Health owns or has a long-term lease on the five hospitals, which it operates. HMA says it is negotiating to be the majority owner of the new joint venture.
HSN, PlayFirst team up place Emeril in cooking game
San Francisco mobile social game publisher PlayFirst Inc. is partnering with St. Petersburg-based multi-media retailer HSN to bring celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse to Cooking Dash. An update to PlayFirst's popular Cooking Dash App for iPhone and iPod touch adds a unique new restaurant venue called “HSN Cooks with Emeril,” featuring the HSN host Lagasse cooking and serving some of his favorite dishes.
The new venue showcases a Lagasse avatar and allows players to interact with virtual representations of Lagasse's top-selling Emerilware cookware and kitchen electrics line. Without leaving the app, players can choose to purchase Emerilware products from HSN's e-commerce site.
“HSN recognizes that gaming, shopping and sharing are three of the most popular activities across mobile and digital platforms,” Jill Braff, executive vice-president of digital commerce for HSN, says in a press release. “Mobile continues to be HSN's fastest-growing channel and this partnership with PlayFirst and Emeril helps us bring together content and commerce in a fun and innovative way.”
The Cooking Dash App is available for $2.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at iTunes.
Immokalee Farmers Supply sold to The Andersons Inc.
Maumee, Ohio-based The Andersons Inc. has completed the purchase of Immokalee Farmers Supply Inc., an Immokalee-based company that provides crop protection chemicals to vegetable producers in Southwest Florida.
The Immokalee Farmers Supply operations will become a part of The Andersons Plant Nutrient Group's Southern Region.
“This agreement reinforces The Andersons' commitment to the Florida market and our desire to diversify our product and service offerings for growers and industries in this specialty-crop dominated state,” Joe Hodges, vice president of the Plant Nutrient Group's southern region, says in a press release.
Fred Heald, vice president of Immokalee Farmers Supply, says the deal allows the company to offer its customers new products and additional resources.
Immokalee Farmers Supply was founded in 1984.
The Andersons Inc. is a diversified company with interests in the grain, ethanol and plant nutrient sectors, as well as in railcar leasing and repair, turf products production and general merchandise retailing.
Clarity Services adds subprime fraud tool
Clearwater's Clarity Services has launched the Clear Subprime ID Fraud solution. Clear Subprime ID Fraud provides identity verification and a custom Clarity Fraud Score derived from a combination of Clarity credit reporting and Experian identity fraud and credit report assets.
The new custom score and report is designed to help lender underwriters find the customers who are mostly like to commit fraud in the application process and weed out harmless data entry errors from fraud. The process will also identify multiple Social Security numbers, cell phones, addresses, emails and employer phone numbers associated with a specific bank account.
Moffitt Cancer Center partners with US Oncology Network
The Moffitt Cancer Center and The U.S. Oncology Network, one of the nation's largest networks of community-based oncology physicians, announced that they will work together to develop and operate community-based cancer centers throughout the state.
Initially, the two groups will develop a community-based cancer center in New Port Richey. Over time, the collaboration plans to expand to other sites across the state.
The agreement is meant to complement the Moffitt Affiliate Network, an existing collection of 15 community hospitals and more than 400 oncologists in Florida.
“The unique capabilities and best practices of both Moffitt and The U.S. Oncology Network will be leveraged so patients in Florida will have access to unparalleled cancer care services closer to home and closer to their loved ones,” Roy Beveridge, M.D., chief medical officer of The U.S. Oncology Network, says in a press release.
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