The promising medical equipment market in Southeast Asia has promptedToshiba to open a joint-venture company to handle sales, serviceand marketing of its medical products in the region. The new company,Toshiba Medical Systems Asia, will be based in

Siemens and Kodak sign on to ambitious projectFor those who take a big-picture look at hospital operations,the growth of computerization and automation is a double-edgedsword. The installation of an information system or a PACS canimprove

Siemens Medical Systems has received a massive order for $20 millionin medical imaging equipment, with a strong emphasis on digitalimage management. Hennepin County Medical Center of Minneapolislast month said it had selected the Iselin, NJ, vendor to

Several personnel changes took place at Toshiba America MedicalSystems last month, including the departure of vice presidentof corporate marketing Ravi Sharma. Toshiba, of Tustin, CA, declinedto comment on the reasons for Sharma's exit other than to

ALI's UltraPACS will be linked with SienetSiemens Ultrasound and ALI Technologies last month announced ajoint marketing agreement for ALI's UltraPACS ultrasound imagemanagement system. The deal is an important step for two firmsthat have seen

The struggling MRI market hasn't slowed magnet supplier IntermagneticsGeneral. The Latham, NY, company last month released financialresults for its 1995 fiscal year (end-May) that show revenuesup 64% and net income up 87%. Intermagnetics had annual

Vendor cuts layer of middle managementGE Medical Systems has overhauled its sales and marketing organization,cutting out an entire layer of management and introducing a strategicmarket segment concept to augment the company's traditional focuson

Fischer Imaging last week tapped a Lorad veteran to fill a newlycreated position designed to focus the Denver company's effortsin breast imaging. John Neugebauer has been appointed directorof breast imaging, according to Fischer chairman and CEO

Delaware complaint seeks to invalidate Fonar patents If there are any real winners in Fonar's ongoing campaign to assertits claims to intellectual authorship of MRI, patent attorneyswill have to be considered at the top of the list. This

Bayer chairman's comments feed rumor millOfficials at film and PACS vendor Agfa say the company's parentfirm Bayer AG of Germany has no intention of selling the firm,contrary to a rumor that has been circulating in the medical imagingindustry

Vendor hopes for executive stability Israeli technology firm Elbit has named Thomas Bird to head ElbitUltrasound Group, the company's far-flung empire of ultrasoundfirms that includes Diasonics and Ausonics. Bird will fill theleadership vacuum

The nuclear medicine group of Siemens Medical Systems has startedbuilding the first gamma camera detectors using sodium iodidecrystals grown at a new facility the vendor has built at its HoffmanEstates, IL, headquarters. The new crystal-growing factory

Siemens and Philips could be liable for treble damagesThe other shoe dropped last month in Fonar's ongoing campaignto assert its MRI patent claims. The Melville, NY, company filedsuit June 16 against Siemens Medical Systems of Iselin, NJ,

Nuclear medicine struggles to dispel gloomy predictions of modality's futureVendors must work together to improve specialty's fortunesLast month's Society of Nuclear Medicine meeting in Minneapolisfound the nuclear medicine community at yet

Olicon awaits outcome of Du Pont divestitureDu Pont has expanded its strategy of gaining PACS expertise throughpartnering by signing a distribution deal with Olicon ImagingSystems. The deal gives a lift to Olicon, but the San Clemente,CA, firm

Siemens Medical Systems has ceded responsibility for global cyclotronsales and marketing to its PET partner, Computer Technology Imaging(CTI) of Knoxville, TN. The move enables Siemens to focus on marketingits PET products, according to Thomas Cafarella,

Ex-Diasonics Ultrasound executive Omar Ishrak has landed on hisfeet after leaving the Milpitas, CA, firm earlier this year (SCAN6/7/95). Ishrak has been appointed general manager of the globalultrasound business at GE Medical Systems, replacing John

Japanese vendor Toshiba is banking on a change of scenery to helpit meet the software requirements of U.S. nuclear medicine customers.The company announced last month that it is moving its nuclearmedicine software development program from Japan to

GE Medical Systems of Milwaukee gained regulatory clearance inJune to begin selling PROBE (proton brain exam), the first MRspectroscopy product available for non-experimental use. In making the announcement, GE made good on its 11-year-old commitmentto

Company has been approached by imaging vendorsMRI firm Resonexhas merged its equipment service and R&D subsidiaries in acorporate consolidation that paves the way for the company tobe acquired. The Fremont, CA, company has been approached by