A federal court has set an Oct. 13 trial date for Aliso Viejo-based SenoRx Inc.? patent infringement lawsuit with Massachusetts-based Hologic Inc., a much bigger competitor.
SenoRx and Hologic are facing off over the Contura breast-treatment catheter, which is one of SenoRx? main products.
SenoRx initially was sued by Cytyc Corp., before Hologic bought Cytyc in early 2008.
In the suit, Hologic alleges that SenoRx? Contura catheter for treating breast cancer infringes upon the patent of a Cytyc catheter used to deliver targeted radiation to a tumor.
The patent battle, which has stretched nearly 18 months, weighed heavily on SenoRx in 2008, a year after it was one of the more successful initial public offerings in Orange County.
SenoRx? shares fell about 70% last year. Although they have made a comeback in recent months, they still are far from the levels seen before Wall Street? fall meltdown and news of the lawsuit hit.
In November, Junaid Husain, an analyst with San Francisco-based Soleil Securities Group, said investors could be scared away by the SenoRx-Hologic fight: ?n this market, no one wants to invest in a (company) that has even a smidgen of hair, and this one has quite a bit of hair on it,?he said.
Some investors may be wary that Hologic ?as the financial wherewithal to kick little ol?SenoRx in its knees,?Husain said.
Hologic had sales of $1.7 billion in 2008 with a recent market value of $3 billion.
SenoRx had sales of $47 million last year with a recent market value of $50 million.
Of course, the two still could settle out of court.
Power Broker
These days, Larry Higby, former chief executive of Lake Forest-based Apria Healthcare Group Inc., is making the most of his news in the political arena.
Higby, now an adviser to Apria, came in at No. 82 on a list of top 100 California political power brokers compiled on the Capitol Weekly Web site.
The article called Higby ?n unusual blend of politics, business and the media.?
During the 1970s, Higby was an aide to President Nixon? former chief of staff. He later spent eight years at the Los Angeles Times as its vice president of marketing.
Higby made the list because of his role as a cofounder of the New Majority, a moderate, OC-based Republican group that wants the party to concentrate on core economic and taxation issues, as opposed to ?edge?issues such as abortion and gay marriage.
Higby retired from his chief executive position at Apria shortly after the company was taken private in a $1.7 billion buyout by the Blackstone Group LP late last year.
NeoMatrix Signs Deal
NeoMatrix LLC, an Irvine maker of a breast cancer testing device, said it signed a three-year deal with Premier Purchasing Partners LP, the group purchasing arm of North Carolina-based Premier Inc. Premier serves more than 2,100 hospitals and 54,000 other types of healthcare providers and facilities and has $33 billion in supply purchasing volume.
The Halo, a non-invasive device, helps primary care doctors assess patients?future risk of breast cancer.
Irvine Medical Condo Deal
Miji Productions LLC of Irvine bought 10,200 square feet of medical office space at Odyssey Medical Center in Irvine for $4.07 million from Odyssey Medical Center LP.
Dave Kluver, Nick Carey and Greg Puccinelli, brokers in Grubb & Ellis Co.? Newport Beach office, represented Odyssey. Greg Marshall, a broker with Madison Street Partners in Irvine, represented Miji.
Miji bought six medical condominiums in Odyssey, which was completed last October and is made up of 32 medical condos ranging from 914 to 2,477 square feet of space. Miji should start occupying its units in August.
Bits and Pieces:
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach said it was among several OC hospitals that are participating in the Orange County Health Care Agency? new stroke-neurology receiving program, which is designed to improve healthcare for stroke patients. Other participating hospitals include Fountain Valley Regional Medical Center, Mission Hospital, St. Joseph Hospital-Orange and Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, as well as the previously announced UCI Medical Center ?Avanir Pharmaceuticals Inc., an Aliso Viejo drug maker, said it completed enrollment in a third-phase clinical trial for its Zenvia drug in 15 months and surpassed its initial enrollment goal. The trial is looking at Zenvia for treating uncontrollable fits of crying and laughter, or involuntary emotional expression disorder ?The Institute for Healthcare Advancement, a La Habra nonprofit, said it is offering a service that rewrites and redesigns patients?health materials to help them be understandable to the more than 90 million American adults who are unable to read above a fifth-grade level.
