Irvine-based Nihon Kohden America has a new chief executive and a revamped business structure.
Nihon Kohden America is the U.S. arm of Japan-based Nihon Kohden Corp., which has annual sales of about $1.2 billion. The company’s devices include pulse oximeters, arrhythmia-analyzing monitors, and wireless patient monitors.
It recently named Winston Constantine chief executive, replacing Fumio Izumida. Constantine, whose background includes executive leadership roles at Stryker Orthopaedics, Misonix and Henry Schein Inc., came to Nihon Kohden America in September as chief operating officer. He was most recently chief executive of Monarch Medical Technologies, a Charlotte, N.C.-based, private equity-backed spinoff of Lake Forest, Ill.-based Hospira Inc.
Constantine “is a person who shares a passion to contribute to the advancement of medicine with new technologies, which is essential to the corporate philosophy of Nihon Kohden,” Hirokazu Ogino, Nihon Kohden Corp.’s corporate director in charge of international operations, said in a news release.
Nihon Kohden America also said it’s changing the way it approaches the market by selling products with a unified approach. The company said its operations were previously broken out into product-line specific business units.
The company also made other executive additions and shifts: Michael Stone, senior vice president of sales; Betzy Estrada, director of human resources; Veffa Devers, vice president of clinical excellence programs; Kathy Hart, vice president of marketing; and Thomas Bento, senior vice president of regulatory and quality affairs.
Ensign Buys in Idaho
Mission Viejo-based Ensign Group Inc. bought the operations and real estate of three facilities in Idaho last month. Purchase prices weren’t disclosed.
The acquisitions are Heritage Assisted Living of Boise, a 100-unit assisted-living facility in Boise, Idaho, and two facilities in Twin Falls, Idaho: 85-unit Woodstone Assisted Living, and Heritage Assisted Living of Twin Falls, which has 70 units.
Firm Showcases at Octane Event
Laguna Niguel-based Astute Doctor Education Inc. will be one of 10 companies presenting at booster group Octane’s Technology Investor Forum. The event takes place May 5 at the Hotel Irvine.
Astute provides a number of technology-enhanced courses for doctors. The company says its goal is to “solve the problem of communication disconnect between physician and patient that has serious health consequences for patients, and directly affects the performance and profitability of hospitals, physician groups and others.”
Chief Executive Grant Simic will make the presentation to potential investors during the forum.
Peregrine Cancer Study
Tustin-based Peregrine Pharmaceuticals Inc. presented data showing that antibodies it’s developing for lung cancer treatment have synergistic antitumor effects in people with melanoma and skin cancer.
The drug developer’s lead antibody, bavituximab, is being evaluated in a third-phase clinical trial for second-line, non-small-cell lung cancer.
Peregrine said the use of the antibodies helped increase activated T-cells that “specifically recognize and kill tumor cells” in the cancers.
Peregrine presented its data last month at the 106th annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Philadelphia.
Bits & Pieces
Irvine-based medical device maker Masimo Corp. is serving as the presenting sponsor of documentary “Personal Gold: An Underdog Story” for the 2015-16 film festival season. The documentary focuses on the experiences of four female cyclists who relied on Masimo’s pulse oximeters and other technologies for their training for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. … Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine was one of 251 hospitals across the country that received a five-star ranking from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on patient experience under a new rating system. … Saddleback Memorial Medical Center’s Center for Advanced Wound Healing was recognized for excellence in clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction by Jacksonville, Fla.-based Healogics Inc., a provider of advanced wound-care services. Saddleback’s wound-healing center is in Mission Viejo.
