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FPMI And The Heart
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), also referred to as coronary artery disease (CAD), has been on top of the world’s illness list for a long time, and yet it’s still surprising to consider that fully one-third of all American’s are believed to have some form of the disease. CVD/CAD are general terms used to describe certain disorders that can affect your heart as well as your body’s blood vessels. Such problems are the primary cause of death in the U.S., claiming one million lives annually.
The disease usually involves plaque accumulations on the walls of the coronary arteries, which can ultimately constrict the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart to such a degree that the heart muscles are unable to properly function. The result can be fatal, with little or no advanced warning. Cardiac imaging is used to diagnose the disease and to determine the presence and severity of ischemic heart disease and the related risk of suffering a heart attack. It is also used to help determine the most appropriate course of treatment.
For some patients, facing lower risks, an exercise stress test may be used to evaluate heart function. However, the test is often inaccurate and poor as a predictor of heart attack. For patients facing higher risks, or for those unable to safely go through a stress test, doctors can use some form of imaging, such as MRI. If even this is unable to clearly identify the problem, doctors can perform a coronary angiogram, involving a contrasting agent and X-rays to identify blockages.
FluoroPharma Medical is building a portfolio of chemical tracer products, with a focus on heart disease. These tracers are used in conjunction with positron emission tomography (PET) and help make visible the minute cellular processes associated with the disease. They do this by being specially formulated to become part of the process, allowing doctors and researchers to detect possibly dangerous conditions that other forms of detection miss.
FluoroPharma has three tracer products directly related to the heart and related diseases. CardioPET, BFPET, and VasoPET are all designed to overcome the weaknesses of other diagnostic methods. For example, PET technology itself has been shown to reduce the number of coronary angiography and revascularization procedures by over 50% and reduce overall costs by 30%.
GlobalWise Investments, Inc. (GWIV) Flagship Solution Nearly Doubles Efficiency of Ricart Automotive Group
GlobalWise Investments and its wholly owned subsidiary Intellinetics, a leading-edge technology company focused on the design, implementation, and management of public/private cloud-based Enterprise Content Management (“ECM”) systems, today provide a case study for one of their clients, Ricart Automotive Group (www.Ricart.com).
One of the world’s largest retail auto dealer enterprises, Ricart Automotive Group was founded in 1953 in Columbus, Ohio. The company has grown from a small car lot into one of the nation’s largest single-site dealer complexes comprised of 66 acres plus a separate financing company (www.coccfinancial.com) with locations in Ohio and Mississippi. Ricart Automotive sells and/or finances a combined 16,000 vehicles annually, which creates an immense amount of paperwork. Ricart realized the traditional paper storage filing cabinet system for managing their many customers was dated, inefficient, and in some cases resulted in missing documents.
“We already had a significant amount of space dedicated to the storage of paper files and we needed more. In addition to the physical storage problem, we were also having an issue with the excessive amount of time required to locate files when we needed them. It was obvious that we needed a more efficient solution,” stated Rob Caruthers, CFO, Ricart Automotive. “It was essential to our business that the information be logically indexed and quickly accessible.”
Ricart also mandated that the ECM solution chosen was compatible with its existing business applications and database. Intellinetics is able to easily and seamlessly integrate with existing software packages that companies rely on to manage their business. Many other ECM solutions do not have the ability to integrate with these dealer management systems, which gives Intellinetics a competitive advantage. The Intellivue™ software package delivered to Ricart was the perfect solution to increase productivity. According to Mr. Caruthers, all of their needs “were met and implementation was seamless.”
Ricart maximized their return on investment by integrating Intellivue™ into its dealer management platform. The flexibility of the Intellivue™ system allows the Ricart team to function more efficiently, while reducing wait times and increasing customer satisfaction. Across sales, finance, service, human resources, and accounting the system saves hours of processing time for the over 75,000 pages of new documents managed per month. Ricart currently has the equivalent of approximately 1,000 four-drawer filing cabinets processed by Intellivue™. In the past, simple vehicle inventory logging would take up to one and a half weeks, but with the Intellivue™ system, it can now be processed in one and a half days — an 80% increase in efficiency.
According to today’s release, Ricart and Intellinetics continue to collaborate on planned upgrades and expand Intellivue™ to capture more document types throughout Ricart’s enterprise. “Employing Intellivue™ has been an excellent experience. The impact it has had on our operations is tremendous. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Intellinetics,” concluded Mr. Caruthers.
Click the following link to see Mr. Caruthers share additional insight on the economic and operational impact Intellivue™ has brought to Ricart Automotive:
GWIV Flagship Solution Nearly Doubles Efficiency of Ricart Automotive Group
GlobalWise Investments and its wholly owned subsidiary Intellinetics, a leading-edge technology company focused on the design, implementation, and management of public/private cloud-based Enterprise Content Management (“ECM”) systems, today provide a case study for one of their clients, Ricart Automotive Group (www.Ricart.com).
One of the world’s largest retail auto dealer enterprises, Ricart Automotive Group was founded in 1953 in Columbus, Ohio. The company has grown from a small car lot into one of the nation’s largest single-site dealer complexes comprised of 66 acres plus a separate financing company (www.coccfinancial.com) with locations in Ohio and Mississippi. Ricart Automotive sells and/or finances a combined 16,000 vehicles annually, which creates an immense amount of paperwork. Ricart realized the traditional paper storage filing cabinet system for managing their many customers was dated, inefficient, and in some cases resulted in missing documents.
“We already had a significant amount of space dedicated to the storage of paper files and we needed more. In addition to the physical storage problem, we were also having an issue with the excessive amount of time required to locate files when we needed them. It was obvious that we needed a more efficient solution,” stated Rob Caruthers, CFO, Ricart Automotive. “It was essential to our business that the information be logically indexed and quickly accessible.”
Ricart also mandated that the ECM solution chosen was compatible with its existing business applications and database. Intellinetics is able to easily and seamlessly integrate with existing software packages that companies rely on to manage their business. Many other ECM solutions do not have the ability to integrate with these dealer management systems, which gives Intellinetics a competitive advantage. The Intellivue™ software package delivered to Ricart was the perfect solution to increase productivity. According to Mr. Caruthers, all of their needs “were met and implementation was seamless.”
Ricart maximized their return on investment by integrating Intellivue™ into its dealer management platform. The flexibility of the Intellivue™ system allows the Ricart team to function more efficiently, while reducing wait times and increasing customer satisfaction. Across sales, finance, service, human resources, and accounting the system saves hours of processing time for the over 75,000 pages of new documents managed per month. Ricart currently has the equivalent of approximately 1,000 four-drawer filing cabinets processed by Intellivue™. In the past, simple vehicle inventory logging would take up to one and a half weeks, but with the Intellivue™ system, it can now be processed in one and a half days — an 80% increase in efficiency.
According to today’s release, Ricart and Intellinetics continue to collaborate on planned upgrades and expand Intellivue™ to capture more document types throughout Ricart’s enterprise. “Employing Intellivue™ has been an excellent experience. The impact it has had on our operations is tremendous. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Intellinetics,” concluded Mr. Caruthers.
Click the following link to see Mr. Caruthers share additional insight on the economic and operational impact Intellivue™ has brought to Ricart Automotive:
After 30 days from the first day it started trading.
AdCare Health Systems, Inc. (ADK) Management Discusses Record Financial Results
In addition to the exceptional financial numbers AdCare management was able to provide in the company’s recent release of 2011 Q4 and full-year results, they also discussed their continued M&A based strategy and plans for the future. The numbers, however, plainly served to back up the management team’s choice of direction:
• Record annual revenues of $151.4 million, up 198% from 2010
• Record annual income from operations of $2.7 million
• 176% year-over-year gain in Q4 adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations
AdCare, a rapidly growing owner and operator of care facilities covering 7 states, has had its best year ever. The company’s strategy of acquiring underperforming skilled nursing properties, and then assisting the local facilities leadership team in improving care, increasing acute care census, and evaluating payment rate structures has clearly done much to drive this performance, although AdCare experienced revenue growth on a “same-store” basis as well.
The company’s pace of acquisitions has been impressive, closing on 5 facilities in the 4th quarter and announcing additional acquisitions in Arkansas, with 5 properties under contract which are expected to close in late Q1 or early Q2. They’ve also signed a deal in Oklahoma for a 456-bed set of properties that they will manage, with a contract to purchase at an attractive price. And, beyond that, they simply say they have a robust pipeline, with a number of other opportunities coming up throughout the South. AdCare now boasts over 44 facilities, with 3,000+ patients in residence, and over 4,000 employees.
However, management made it clear that they have no intention of letting the volume of acquisitions get ahead of them. They’ve invested heavily over the past year in infrastructure to support their growing network, including establishing a scalable administrative service center in Roswell, Georgia, north of Atlanta. They’ve also adopted and integrated the industry leading clinical billing platform, PointClickCare, and have transitioned to Microsoft Dynamics, a robust general ledger and financial reporting system.
In answer to questions about “cash burn,” they pointed out that, although a lot of cash is understandably going to support acquisitions, the company continues to be effective at balancing A/R and A/P, and there were no cash surprises in Q4.
In short, AdCare feels that it has found a business model that works exceedingly well, and the company intends to continue its aggressive M&A approach.
To listen to a replay of the earnings conference call, visit the Investors section of AdCare’s website at www.AdCareHealth.com
Please see disclaimer on the MissionIR website http://www.missionir.com/disclaimer.html
American Standard Energy Corp. (ASEN) Acquires 72,300 Net Acres from Geronimo Holding
American Standard Energy, an oil and gas exploration and production company with working interest assets in the Permian Basin and non-operated acreage in the Williston Basin and Eagle Ford resource prospects, today announced it has completed the acquisition of approximately 72,300 net acres and approximately 250 barrels of oil equivalent per day BOED of production from privately held Geronimo Holding Corp.
American Standard paid Geronimo $10 million cash, an unsecured, subordinated note paid in the principal amount of $35 million, and 5 million shares of American Standard common stock, valued at $2.70 per share.
The acquisition is complementary of American Standard’s current operations and boosts the company’s financial strength.
“This transformational acquisition uniquely complements American Standard’s strong positions in three core regions: the Permian Basin, the Williston Basin and the Eagle Ford,” Scott Feldhacker, American Standard’s CEO stated in the press release. “In addition to leasehold assets that provide a portfolio of long-term exploration opportunities, the acquisition of existing production provides immediate cash flow which enhances our financial position.”
In addition to leasehold assets in American Standard’s core regions, the acquisition includes acreage in the Eagle Bine, Niobrara, and Gulf Coast regions.
In the Permian Basin the Company acquired 22,519 net acres, bringing the company’s holdings on this site to a total of 29,000 net acres.
In the Eagle Ford region, the company acquired 6,227 net acres and now holds just over 7,400 net acres in the area.
In the Williston Basin in North Dakota, American Standard added 9,801 net acres to its existing leasehold acreage, bringing its current working interests to more than 42,200 net acres.
“Our ability to bring together such a significant leasehold position in three of the United States’ most prolific oil exploration plays demonstrates how our strategy of capitalizing on relationships and opportunities adds value to our shareholders,” Feldhacker stated. “We must now focus on completing our transition from an early-stage leasehold company to a balanced non-operating exploration and production company and continue to execute on our business strategy to turn leasehold assets into producing assets and, as a result, growing the value of our enterprise.”
Geronimo is controlled by American Standard’s majority stockholder and director, Randall Capps.
For more information visit www.asenergycorp.com
AdCare Health Systems, Inc. (ADK) Management Discusses Record Financial Results
In addition to the exceptional financial numbers AdCare management was able to provide in the company’s recent release of 2011 Q4 and full-year results, they also discussed their continued M&A based strategy and plans for the future. The numbers, however, plainly served to back up the management team’s choice of direction:
• Record annual revenues of $151.4 million, up 198% from 2010
• Record annual income from operations of $2.7 million
• 176% year-over-year gain in Q4 adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations
AdCare, a rapidly growing owner and operator of care facilities covering 7 states, has had its best year ever. The company’s strategy of acquiring underperforming skilled nursing properties, and then assisting the local facilities leadership team in improving care, increasing acute care census, and evaluating payment rate structures has clearly done much to drive this performance, although AdCare experienced revenue growth on a “same-store” basis as well.
The company’s pace of acquisitions has been impressive, closing on 5 facilities in the 4th quarter and announcing additional acquisitions in Arkansas, with 5 properties under contract which are expected to close in late Q1 or early Q2. They’ve also signed a deal in Oklahoma for a 456-bed set of properties that they will manage, with a contract to purchase at an attractive price. And, beyond that, they simply say they have a robust pipeline, with a number of other opportunities coming up throughout the South. AdCare now boasts over 44 facilities, with 3,000+ patients in residence, and over 4,000 employees.
However, management made it clear that they have no intention of letting the volume of acquisitions get ahead of them. They’ve invested heavily over the past year in infrastructure to support their growing network, including establishing a scalable administrative service center in Roswell, Georgia, north of Atlanta. They’ve also adopted and integrated the industry leading clinical billing platform, PointClickCare, and have transitioned to Microsoft Dynamics, a robust general ledger and financial reporting system.
In answer to questions about “cash burn,” they pointed out that, although a lot of cash is understandably going to support acquisitions, the company continues to be effective at balancing A/R and A/P, and there were no cash surprises in Q4.
In short, AdCare feels that it has found a business model that works exceedingly well, and the company intends to continue its aggressive M&A approach.
To listen to a replay of the earnings conference call, visit the Investors section of AdCare’s website at www.AdCareHealth.com
AdCare Health Systems, Inc. (ADK) Management Discusses Record Financial Results
In addition to the exceptional financial numbers AdCare management was able to provide in the company’s recent release of 2011 Q4 and full-year results, they also discussed their continued M&A based strategy and plans for the future. The numbers, however, plainly served to back up the management team’s choice of direction:
• Record annual revenues of $151.4 million, up 198% from 2010
• Record annual income from operations of $2.7 million
• 176% year-over-year gain in Q4 adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations
AdCare, a rapidly growing owner and operator of care facilities covering 7 states, has had its best year ever. The company’s strategy of acquiring underperforming skilled nursing properties, and then assisting the local facilities leadership team in improving care, increasing acute care census, and evaluating payment rate structures has clearly done much to drive this performance, although AdCare experienced revenue growth on a “same-store” basis as well.
The company’s pace of acquisitions has been impressive, closing on 5 facilities in the 4th quarter and announcing additional acquisitions in Arkansas, with 5 properties under contract which are expected to close in late Q1 or early Q2. They’ve also signed a deal in Oklahoma for a 456-bed set of properties that they will manage, with a contract to purchase at an attractive price. And, beyond that, they simply say they have a robust pipeline, with a number of other opportunities coming up throughout the South. AdCare now boasts over 44 facilities, with 3,000+ patients in residence, and over 4,000 employees.
However, management made it clear that they have no intention of letting the volume of acquisitions get ahead of them. They’ve invested heavily over the past year in infrastructure to support their growing network, including establishing a scalable administrative service center in Roswell, Georgia, north of Atlanta. They’ve also adopted and integrated the industry leading clinical billing platform, PointClickCare, and have transitioned to Microsoft Dynamics, a robust general ledger and financial reporting system.
In answer to questions about “cash burn,” they pointed out that, although a lot of cash is understandably going to support acquisitions, the company continues to be effective at balancing A/R and A/P, and there were no cash surprises in Q4.
In short, AdCare feels that it has found a business model that works exceedingly well, and the company intends to continue its aggressive M&A approach.
To listen to a replay of the earnings conference call, visit the Investors section of AdCare’s website at www.AdCareHealth.com
ADK Management Discusses Record Financial Results
In addition to the exceptional financial numbers AdCare management was able to provide in the company’s recent release of 2011 Q4 and full-year results, they also discussed their continued M&A based strategy and plans for the future. The numbers, however, plainly served to back up the management team’s choice of direction:
• Record annual revenues of $151.4 million, up 198% from 2010
• Record annual income from operations of $2.7 million
• 176% year-over-year gain in Q4 adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations
AdCare, a rapidly growing owner and operator of care facilities covering 7 states, has had its best year ever. The company’s strategy of acquiring underperforming skilled nursing properties, and then assisting the local facilities leadership team in improving care, increasing acute care census, and evaluating payment rate structures has clearly done much to drive this performance, although AdCare experienced revenue growth on a “same-store” basis as well.
The company’s pace of acquisitions has been impressive, closing on 5 facilities in the 4th quarter and announcing additional acquisitions in Arkansas, with 5 properties under contract which are expected to close in late Q1 or early Q2. They’ve also signed a deal in Oklahoma for a 456-bed set of properties that they will manage, with a contract to purchase at an attractive price. And, beyond that, they simply say they have a robust pipeline, with a number of other opportunities coming up throughout the South. AdCare now boasts over 44 facilities, with 3,000+ patients in residence, and over 4,000 employees.
However, management made it clear that they have no intention of letting the volume of acquisitions get ahead of them. They’ve invested heavily over the past year in infrastructure to support their growing network, including establishing a scalable administrative service center in Roswell, Georgia, north of Atlanta. They’ve also adopted and integrated the industry leading clinical billing platform, PointClickCare, and have transitioned to Microsoft Dynamics, a robust general ledger and financial reporting system.
In answer to questions about “cash burn,” they pointed out that, although a lot of cash is understandably going to support acquisitions, the company continues to be effective at balancing A/R and A/P, and there were no cash surprises in Q4.
In short, AdCare feels that it has found a business model that works exceedingly well, and the company intends to continue its aggressive M&A approach.
To listen to a replay of the earnings conference call, visit the Investors section of AdCare’s website at www.AdCareHealth.com
AirMedia Group, Inc. (AMCN) Posts Q4, FY 2011 Financial Results
AirMedia Group, a leading operator of out-of-home advertising platforms in China targeting mid-to-high-end consumers, today posted its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2011.
Herman Guo, chairman and CEO of AirMedia, said the company’s fourth quarter performance is reflective of a strong business strategy paired with a solid market presence in the air travel advertising market.
“AirMedia has demonstrated strong resilience to significant adverse market events. We emerged stronger and more competitive after overcoming each challenge. Our solid quarterly earnings are, again, a validation of the leverage business model that we have been building. With a leading market position in the air travel advertising sector, AirMedia has become the right choice for airports in China. The recent renewals of some major contracts reflect the value and synergy of our nationwide advertising network,” Guo stated in the press release.
The company reported total fourth quarter revenues of $87.8 million, a 23.7 percent increase over total fourth quarter revenues of $68.7 million reported in 2010. Net revenues for the fourth quarter of 2011 reached $85.0 million, an increase of 23.7 percent from $68.7 million reported for the comparable quarter of the year prior.
Gross profit for the fourth quarter of 2011 was $19.2 million, or 22.6 percent of net revenues, compared to gross profit of $7.0 million, or 20.9 percent of net revenues, in the previous quarter.
Total operating expenses for the fourth quarter of 2011 were $13.2 million, representing a year-over-year increase of 19.8% from $11.0 million.
The company reported income from operations for the fourth quarter of 2011 at $6.0 million, compared to income from operations of $3.3 million in the same period one year ago.
Fourth quarter 2011 net income attributable to AirMedia shareholders was $4.6 million, or $0.07 per ADS, compared to net income attributable to AirMedia shareholders of $5.1 million, or $0.08 per ADS, in the same period one year ago.
Other than restricted cash of $6.4 million, AirMedia reported total cash of $112.7 million as of December 31, 2011, compared to $106.5 million as of December 31, 2010.
Total revenues for the fiscal year 2011 were $277.8 million, a 17.5 percent increase over the $236.5 million reported in fiscal year 2010. Net revenues for fiscal year 2011 were $270.6 million, representing a year-over-year increase of 17.4 percent from $230.5 million in fiscal year 2010.
Gross profit for fiscal year 2011 was $26.2 million, or 9.7 percent of net revenues, a 19.8 percent decrease compared to $32.6 million, or 14.1 percent of net revenues, reported in fiscal year 2010.
The company reported total operating expenses for fiscal year 2011 at $41.9 million, representing a year-over-year decrease of 4.2 percent from $43.8 million in fiscal year 2010.
Loss from operations for fiscal year 2011 was $15.7 million, compared to loss from operations of $11.2 million in fiscal year 2010.
Net loss attributable to AirMedia shareholders for fiscal year 2011 was $9.6 million, or a loss of $(0.15) per ADS, compared to net loss attributable to AirMedia shareholders of $4.9 million, or a loss of $(0.07) per ADS, in fiscal year 2011.
AirMedia said it currently expects its total revenues for the first quarter of 2012 to range between $66.0 million and $68.0 million.
For more information visit www.airmedia.net.cn
FuelCell Energy, Inc. (FCEL) Inks Deal with South Korean Partner POSCO Energy to Drive Global Manufacturing Expansion
FuelCell Energy, a leading manufacturer of ultra-clean, efficient, and reliable fuel cell power plants, today announced it has signed memorandums of understanding (MOU) pertaining to a series of strategic initiatives with its South Korean partner, POSCO Energy, designed to boost FuelCell’s global manufacturing presence.
“This strategic transaction reflects significant progress for FuelCell Energy and our ultra-clean stationary fuel cell power plants as we execute on our global growth plans, strengthen our balance sheet and drive to profitability,” Chip Bottone, president and CEO of FuelCell, stated in the press release. “This announcement will be welcomed by project investors as it expands the global manufacturing footprint for our Direct FuelCell products.”
Initiatives include a 120 megawatt (MW) multi-year order commitment; acceleration of deliveries under the existing 70 MW order; and a license commitment which provides for the manufacturing of Direct FuelCell® (DFC®) components in South Korea by October 2014.
Per the MOU, POSCO Energy will purchase 20 million shares of FCEL common stock at $1.50 per share for proceeds of $30 million, which will be allocated for general corporate purposes. POSCO Energy will also pay a one-time licensing fee upon execution of the agreement and an on-going royalty.
The expanded license agreement calls for the manufacture of Direct FuelCell components in Korea in a facility owned by POSCO Energy. POSCO Energy will also provide the land and building in Pohang, South Korea, for the manufacturing facility, as well as all necessary funding for construction and daily operation of the facility.
“We are experiencing increasing demand for ultra-clean baseload fuel cell power plants from electric utilities and independent power producers under the South Korean Renewable Portfolio Standard and we are projecting significant demand from the commercial building market in South Korea as well as exports to other Asian countries,” Soung-Sik Cho, president and CEO of POSCO Energy stated. “We are investing in increased capacity to meet this forecasted demand as the capacity of the existing FuelCell Energy production facility in the USA is not sufficient to meet our mutual global demand forecasts.”
FuelCell said it expects to close the transaction in April 2012.
For more information please visit our website at www.fuelcellenergy.com
Local Corp. (LOCM) Announces Mobile Traffic Milestone
Yesterday, Local Corp. announced that it has reached a mobile traffic milestone on its flagship site and network. Mobile visits now represent over 11% of total traffic to Local.com’s consumer properties. This is an all-time record and represents a 4% increase from last year.
According to comScore, the number of consumers accessing local information from their mobile devices continues to grow. Over 88 million mobile subscribers accessed local content on mobile devices in September 2011, up 28 percent from a year ago.
The company also announced that it released updated mobile features within its Exact Match suite for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). The features were released through the company’s Exact Match local business solutions. For its business customers, features include the ability to add customer testimonials to their websites. Additionally, customers now have the ability to activate Foursquare® and LinkedIn® check-ins on their mobile sites.
“We continue to build and enhance our portfolio of mobile products and services in order to provide our users with an exceptional mobile local experience,” said Heath Clarke, Local Corporation, chairman and CEO. “We’re also focused on providing our SMB subscribers with more effective tools to reach these consumers when they are ready to search for and buy local products and services.”
AdCare Health Systems, Inc. (ADK) Announces Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 Results; Substantial Gains Reported Across the Board
AdCare Health Systems, a leading long-term care provider successfully executing an aggressive M&A program, reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2011. Highlights include a 176% year-over-year gain in Q4 adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations; record annual revenues of $151.4 million, up 198% from the previous year; record annual income from operations of $2.7 million; and record annual adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations, up 453% year-over-year to $16.8 million.
“Our record 2011 results reflect successful execution on our M&A program, resulting in nearly tripling our revenues over last year and record growth in adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations,” stated Boyd P. Gentry, AdCare’s president and chief executive officer. “Our corporate strategy of optimizing skilled nursing results through guiding local facility leadership to increase their post-acute and Medicare census has helped drive this strong performance.”
The company plans to continue pursuing an aggressive M&A program. Combining its current annualized run-rate with transactions currently in the process of closing, AdCare’s estimated annualized revenue run-rate is expected to exceed $350 million. This would represent an increase of more than 131% over the company’s revenues in 2011 and an increase of more than 13 times its annualized revenue run-rate since it initiated its M&A campaign in the fall of 2009.
The increases in revenue were primarily due to acquisitions completed since December 31, 2010, as part of the AdCare’s M&A program. The company’s skilled nursing facilities that existed prior to January 1, 2011, also contributed to the improvement in revenue, driven primarily by an increase in occupancy and skilled mix. A more detailed discussion and analysis of the company’s performance will be available in AdCare’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Loss from operations in the fourth quarter of 2011 was $0.4 million, as compared to a loss from operations of $0.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Income from operations for the full year of 2011 was a record $2.7 million, as compared to a loss from operations of $1.9 million in 2010. The increase in income from operations was primarily attributed to acquisitions and revenue improvement in acquired facilities, partially offset by salary and retirement costs of $1.5 million incurred only in 2011.
Adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations in the fourth quarter of 2011 totaled $4.5 million, up 176% from adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations of $1.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations for the full year 2011 totaled a record $16.8 million, an increase of 453% from an adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations of $3.0 million in 2010.
Combined cash, current restricted cash, and cash equivalents at December 31, 2011, totaled $8.7 million compared to $5.0 million at December 31, 2010.
Q4 2011 Operational Highlights
• Appointed David Rubenstein to the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer. Rubenstein brings to AdCare extensive operational experience in delivering long-term care and in implementing operating strategies that maximize facility productivity, minimize costs and increase Medicare census.
• Completed the acquisition of a skilled nursing and assisted living community in Mountain View, Arkansas, with an aggregate of 128 beds in service and an estimated $5.4 million in gross annualized revenues (according to its most recent financials). Its addition was also immediately accretive to AdCare’s earnings.
• Completed the acquisition of a skilled nursing and assisted living community in Springfield, Ohio, which has 179 beds in service and an estimated $12.5 million in gross annualized revenues (according to its most recent financials). Management obtained effective control of the facilities on January 1, 2012. Its addition will be immediately accretive to AdCare’s earnings.
• Signed a purchase agreement for three skilled nursing facilities in Arkansas with an aggregate of 437 beds and an estimated $15.9 million in gross annualized revenues (according to its most recent financials). The acquisition is anticipated to be completed by March 31, 2012.
• Signed a purchase agreement for five skilled nursing facilities in Oklahoma that has, on aggregate, 456 beds in service and an estimated $13.2 million in gross annualized revenues. The acquisition is anticipated to be immediately accretive to the company’s earnings upon closing, which is expected in the second quarter of 2012.
• At the end of the fourth quarter, the company operated 42 facilities comprised of 33 skilled nursing centers, eight assisted living residences and one independent living/senior housing facility, with 3,737 total beds/units in service. Of these 42 facilities, 20 are owned, 12 are leased, six are consolidated variable interest entities, and four are managed for third parties. The facilities are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Chris Brogdon, AdCare’s chief acquisition officer, commented, “AdCare has put under contract 59 facilities since we began our M&A campaign in the fall of 2009 and 32 since the beginning of 2011. During the quarter, our M&A program expanded operations into the Southwest, established two additional facilities in Arkansas and Ohio, and put five additional facilities under contract in Oklahoma and five in Arkansas. We continue to expect our new facilities and these pending acquisitions to improve our overall EBITDA margin.”
“We are currently evaluating several attractive opportunities in the Southern region of the U.S.,” concluded Brogdon, “with accretive acquisitions and the optimization of our facilities continuing to be our major focus in 2012.
VistaGen Therapeutics (VSTA) Addresses the Cost of New Drug Development
One of the clear contributors to the exploding price of healthcare is the cost of researching a new drug and bringing it successfully to market. The cost of drug development has grown enormously over the years, and yet there is no formally agreed upon way to calculate the total cost of a new drug. But everyone agrees that the numbers are huge, and it’s this very scale of investment that causes the problem. The cost of sophisticated facilities, equipment, researchers, manufacturing, preclinical and clinical trials, and other elements, many of which may be shared between numerous projects, covering multiple years of development, can make it almost impossible to come up with a strict breakdown of money spent per drug. As a result, estimates vary widely.
However, if the primary job of a given company is to develop and bring to market new drugs, there is a more simplified method of viewing new drug development costs. This method involves adding up all of the R&D costs reported by a pharmaceutical company over a given period of time, perhaps many years, and then dividing that by the total number of drugs developed by that company that are approved by the FDA during that time. There are still a number of variables involved in doing this, but it represents an eye-opening window into the costs of drug development. Using this method, which factors in the number of new drug candidates that end up failing for one reason or another, the cost is arguably several billion dollars per FDA-approved drug and, in extreme cases, as high as $10 billion per FDA-approved drug.
As it turns out, the biggest cost component of all is drug failure, which is exactly what VistaGen’s stem cell technologies are designed to prevent, failure in development related to unexpected heart toxicity. A new drug can look great until it gets into human trials, or perhaps even out into the public market. At that time, unforeseen problems associated with heart toxicity or other issues, such as liver toxicity, can bring the entire program to a halt. VistaGen uses its stem cell technology-based Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube™ platform to create viable human heart cells that a drug can be tested on in the lab, long before facing the massive expenses involved in advanced human testing and approval. With VistaGen’s technology, big Pharma can catch potential heart toxicity problems early on, making the necessary modifications in the chemical structure to rescue an otherwise effective and valuable drug candidate. It’s a win-win situation, where the pharmaceutical industry can save a literal fortune, and patients can have a better chance at getting the medications they need at a more reasonable price.
For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.VistaGen.com
Share Repurchase Program Approved by Harris Interactive (HPOL) Board
Global market research firm Harris Interactive announced that its board of directors has approved a share repurchase program of the company’s common stock of up to $3 million over the next 24 months. Under the program’s stipulations, repurchases will be made at management’s discretion in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions in compliance with applicable laws, rules, and regulations; also meeting certain conditions and requirements.
This share repurchase program will give the company flexibility to repurchase shares at its own discretion while also maintaining liquidity. Based on its projected fiscal 2012 performance, the company feels its stock is currently undervalued and views the purchase program as an effective means of enhancing stockholder value. The share purchases will be funded with cash generated from operations, and any repurchased shares will be retired and returned to unissued status.
Harris Interactive is a leading global custom market research firm. The company leverages research, technology, and business expertise to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known for the Harris Poll and for its groundbreaking research methodologies, the company offers expertise in a broad spectrum of industries, such as healthcare, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer packaged goods. Harris serves clients in more than 215 countries and territories through its offices in North America and Europe and through its network of independent market research firms.
For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.harrisinteractive.com
Delcath Systems, Inc. (DCTH) Chooses Quintiles to Support European Launch of CHEMOSAT
Delcath Systems is a development stage pharmaceutical and medical device company focused on oncology. The company’s proprietary system for chemosaturation is designed to administer high-dose chemotherapy to regions of the body under attack from cancer. Its initial focus is on the treatment of liver cancers.
The company today announced that Quintiles will provide a specialized team of medical science liasons (MSLs) to support of the launch of the Hepatic CHEMOSAT Delivery for the treatment of liver cancers in Europe, including the nations of France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Ireland, and the UK.
Quintiles will also provide medical communication services. The MSL team, comprised of doctors, nurses, pharmacologists, and cancer specialists will draw on their understanding of the European healthcare environment and use their relationships with key opinion leaders to educate local oncologists and hepatology specialists on the clinical benefits of CHEMOSAT.
Delcath feels that it needs the full support of Quintiles specialists because of the very complex nature of the European healthcare industry. The best way for their product to gain acceptance in Europe is to attain help in navigating the local healthcare systems from medical specialists, particularly in oncology, in the region.
For additional information about Delcath Systems and CHEMOSAT, please visit the company’s website at www.delcath.com
We contacted Motley Fool for inclusion.
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VistaGen Therapeutics (VSTA) Addresses the Cost of New Drug Development
One of the clear contributors to the exploding price of healthcare is the cost of researching a new drug and bringing it successfully to market. The cost of drug development has grown enormously over the years, and yet there is no formally agreed upon way to calculate the total cost of a new drug. But everyone agrees that the numbers are huge, and it’s this very scale of investment that causes the problem. The cost of sophisticated facilities, equipment, researchers, manufacturing, preclinical and clinical trials, and other elements, many of which may be shared between numerous projects, covering multiple years of development, can make it almost impossible to come up with a strict breakdown of money spent per drug. As a result, estimates vary widely.
However, if the primary job of a given company is to develop and bring to market new drugs, there is a more simplified method of viewing new drug development costs. This method involves adding up all of the R&D costs reported by a pharmaceutical company over a given period of time, perhaps many years, and then dividing that by the total number of drugs developed by that company that are approved by the FDA during that time. There are still a number of variables involved in doing this, but it represents an eye-opening window into the costs of drug development. Using this method, which factors in the number of new drug candidates that end up failing for one reason or another, the cost is arguably several billion dollars per FDA-approved drug and, in extreme cases, as high as $10 billion per FDA-approved drug.
As it turns out, the biggest cost component of all is drug failure, which is exactly what VistaGen’s stem cell technologies are designed to prevent, failure in development related to unexpected heart toxicity. A new drug can look great until it gets into human trials, or perhaps even out into the public market. At that time, unforeseen problems associated with heart toxicity or other issues, such as liver toxicity, can bring the entire program to a halt. VistaGen uses its stem cell technology-based Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube™ platform to create viable human heart cells that a drug can be tested on in the lab, long before facing the massive expenses involved in advanced human testing and approval. With VistaGen’s technology, big Pharma can catch potential heart toxicity problems early on, making the necessary modifications in the chemical structure to rescue an otherwise effective and valuable drug candidate. It’s a win-win situation, where the pharmaceutical industry can save a literal fortune, and patients can have a better chance at getting the medications they need at a more reasonable price.
VSTA Addresses the Cost of New Drug Development
One of the clear contributors to the exploding price of healthcare is the cost of researching a new drug and bringing it successfully to market. The cost of drug development has grown enormously over the years, and yet there is no formally agreed upon way to calculate the total cost of a new drug. But everyone agrees that the numbers are huge, and it’s this very scale of investment that causes the problem. The cost of sophisticated facilities, equipment, researchers, manufacturing, preclinical and clinical trials, and other elements, many of which may be shared between numerous projects, covering multiple years of development, can make it almost impossible to come up with a strict breakdown of money spent per drug. As a result, estimates vary widely.
However, if the primary job of a given company is to develop and bring to market new drugs, there is a more simplified method of viewing new drug development costs. This method involves adding up all of the R&D costs reported by a pharmaceutical company over a given period of time, perhaps many years, and then dividing that by the total number of drugs developed by that company that are approved by the FDA during that time. There are still a number of variables involved in doing this, but it represents an eye-opening window into the costs of drug development. Using this method, which factors in the number of new drug candidates that end up failing for one reason or another, the cost is arguably several billion dollars per FDA-approved drug and, in extreme cases, as high as $10 billion per FDA-approved drug.
As it turns out, the biggest cost component of all is drug failure, which is exactly what VistaGen’s stem cell technologies are designed to prevent, failure in development related to unexpected heart toxicity. A new drug can look great until it gets into human trials, or perhaps even out into the public market. At that time, unforeseen problems associated with heart toxicity or other issues, such as liver toxicity, can bring the entire program to a halt. VistaGen uses its stem cell technology-based Human Clinical Trials in a Test Tube™ platform to create viable human heart cells that a drug can be tested on in the lab, long before facing the massive expenses involved in advanced human testing and approval. With VistaGen’s technology, big Pharma can catch potential heart toxicity problems early on, making the necessary modifications in the chemical structure to rescue an otherwise effective and valuable drug candidate. It’s a win-win situation, where the pharmaceutical industry can save a literal fortune, and patients can have a better chance at getting the medications they need at a more reasonable price.
AdCare Health Systems, Inc. (ADK) Announces Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 Results; Substantial Gains Reported Across the Board
AdCare Health Systems, a leading long-term care provider successfully executing an aggressive M&A program, reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2011. Highlights include a 176% year-over-year gain in Q4 adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations; record annual revenues of $151.4 million, up 198% from the previous year; record annual income from operations of $2.7 million; and record annual adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations, up 453% year-over-year to $16.8 million.
“Our record 2011 results reflect successful execution on our M&A program, resulting in nearly tripling our revenues over last year and record growth in adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations,” stated Boyd P. Gentry, AdCare’s president and chief executive officer. “Our corporate strategy of optimizing skilled nursing results through guiding local facility leadership to increase their post-acute and Medicare census has helped drive this strong performance.”
The company plans to continue pursuing an aggressive M&A program. Combining its current annualized run-rate with transactions currently in the process of closing, AdCare’s estimated annualized revenue run-rate is expected to exceed $350 million. This would represent an increase of more than 131% over the company’s revenues in 2011 and an increase of more than 13 times its annualized revenue run-rate since it initiated its M&A campaign in the fall of 2009.
The increases in revenue were primarily due to acquisitions completed since December 31, 2010, as part of the AdCare’s M&A program. The company’s skilled nursing facilities that existed prior to January 1, 2011, also contributed to the improvement in revenue, driven primarily by an increase in occupancy and skilled mix. A more detailed discussion and analysis of the company’s performance will be available in AdCare’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Loss from operations in the fourth quarter of 2011 was $0.4 million, as compared to a loss from operations of $0.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Income from operations for the full year of 2011 was a record $2.7 million, as compared to a loss from operations of $1.9 million in 2010. The increase in income from operations was primarily attributed to acquisitions and revenue improvement in acquired facilities, partially offset by salary and retirement costs of $1.5 million incurred only in 2011.
Adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations in the fourth quarter of 2011 totaled $4.5 million, up 176% from adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations of $1.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations for the full year 2011 totaled a record $16.8 million, an increase of 453% from an adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations of $3.0 million in 2010.
Combined cash, current restricted cash, and cash equivalents at December 31, 2011, totaled $8.7 million compared to $5.0 million at December 31, 2010.
Q4 2011 Operational Highlights
• Appointed David Rubenstein to the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer. Rubenstein brings to AdCare extensive operational experience in delivering long-term care and in implementing operating strategies that maximize facility productivity, minimize costs and increase Medicare census.
• Completed the acquisition of a skilled nursing and assisted living community in Mountain View, Arkansas, with an aggregate of 128 beds in service and an estimated $5.4 million in gross annualized revenues (according to its most recent financials). Its addition was also immediately accretive to AdCare’s earnings.
• Completed the acquisition of a skilled nursing and assisted living community in Springfield, Ohio, which has 179 beds in service and an estimated $12.5 million in gross annualized revenues (according to its most recent financials). Management obtained effective control of the facilities on January 1, 2012. Its addition will be immediately accretive to AdCare’s earnings.
• Signed a purchase agreement for three skilled nursing facilities in Arkansas with an aggregate of 437 beds and an estimated $15.9 million in gross annualized revenues (according to its most recent financials). The acquisition is anticipated to be completed by March 31, 2012.
• Signed a purchase agreement for five skilled nursing facilities in Oklahoma that has, on aggregate, 456 beds in service and an estimated $13.2 million in gross annualized revenues. The acquisition is anticipated to be immediately accretive to the company’s earnings upon closing, which is expected in the second quarter of 2012.
• At the end of the fourth quarter, the company operated 42 facilities comprised of 33 skilled nursing centers, eight assisted living residences and one independent living/senior housing facility, with 3,737 total beds/units in service. Of these 42 facilities, 20 are owned, 12 are leased, six are consolidated variable interest entities, and four are managed for third parties. The facilities are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Chris Brogdon, AdCare’s chief acquisition officer, commented, “AdCare has put under contract 59 facilities since we began our M&A campaign in the fall of 2009 and 32 since the beginning of 2011. During the quarter, our M&A program expanded operations into the Southwest, established two additional facilities in Arkansas and Ohio, and put five additional facilities under contract in Oklahoma and five in Arkansas. We continue to expect our new facilities and these pending acquisitions to improve our overall EBITDA margin.”
“We are currently evaluating several attractive opportunities in the Southern region of the U.S.,” concluded Brogdon, “with accretive acquisitions and the optimization of our facilities continuing to be our major focus in 2012.”
ADK Announces Record Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2011 Results; Substantial Gains Reported Across the Board
AdCare Health Systems, a leading long-term care provider successfully executing an aggressive M&A program, reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2011. Highlights include a 176% year-over-year gain in Q4 adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations; record annual revenues of $151.4 million, up 198% from the previous year; record annual income from operations of $2.7 million; and record annual adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations, up 453% year-over-year to $16.8 million.
“Our record 2011 results reflect successful execution on our M&A program, resulting in nearly tripling our revenues over last year and record growth in adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations,” stated Boyd P. Gentry, AdCare’s president and chief executive officer. “Our corporate strategy of optimizing skilled nursing results through guiding local facility leadership to increase their post-acute and Medicare census has helped drive this strong performance.”
The company plans to continue pursuing an aggressive M&A program. Combining its current annualized run-rate with transactions currently in the process of closing, AdCare’s estimated annualized revenue run-rate is expected to exceed $350 million. This would represent an increase of more than 131% over the company’s revenues in 2011 and an increase of more than 13 times its annualized revenue run-rate since it initiated its M&A campaign in the fall of 2009.
The increases in revenue were primarily due to acquisitions completed since December 31, 2010, as part of the AdCare’s M&A program. The company’s skilled nursing facilities that existed prior to January 1, 2011, also contributed to the improvement in revenue, driven primarily by an increase in occupancy and skilled mix. A more detailed discussion and analysis of the company’s performance will be available in AdCare’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Loss from operations in the fourth quarter of 2011 was $0.4 million, as compared to a loss from operations of $0.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Income from operations for the full year of 2011 was a record $2.7 million, as compared to a loss from operations of $1.9 million in 2010. The increase in income from operations was primarily attributed to acquisitions and revenue improvement in acquired facilities, partially offset by salary and retirement costs of $1.5 million incurred only in 2011.
Adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations in the fourth quarter of 2011 totaled $4.5 million, up 176% from adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations of $1.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2010. Adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations for the full year 2011 totaled a record $16.8 million, an increase of 453% from an adjusted EBITDAR from continuing operations of $3.0 million in 2010.
Combined cash, current restricted cash, and cash equivalents at December 31, 2011, totaled $8.7 million compared to $5.0 million at December 31, 2010.
Q4 2011 Operational Highlights
• Appointed David Rubenstein to the position of executive vice president and chief operating officer. Rubenstein brings to AdCare extensive operational experience in delivering long-term care and in implementing operating strategies that maximize facility productivity, minimize costs and increase Medicare census.
• Completed the acquisition of a skilled nursing and assisted living community in Mountain View, Arkansas, with an aggregate of 128 beds in service and an estimated $5.4 million in gross annualized revenues (according to its most recent financials). Its addition was also immediately accretive to AdCare’s earnings.
• Completed the acquisition of a skilled nursing and assisted living community in Springfield, Ohio, which has 179 beds in service and an estimated $12.5 million in gross annualized revenues (according to its most recent financials). Management obtained effective control of the facilities on January 1, 2012. Its addition will be immediately accretive to AdCare’s earnings.
• Signed a purchase agreement for three skilled nursing facilities in Arkansas with an aggregate of 437 beds and an estimated $15.9 million in gross annualized revenues (according to its most recent financials). The acquisition is anticipated to be completed by March 31, 2012.
• Signed a purchase agreement for five skilled nursing facilities in Oklahoma that has, on aggregate, 456 beds in service and an estimated $13.2 million in gross annualized revenues. The acquisition is anticipated to be immediately accretive to the company’s earnings upon closing, which is expected in the second quarter of 2012.
• At the end of the fourth quarter, the company operated 42 facilities comprised of 33 skilled nursing centers, eight assisted living residences and one independent living/senior housing facility, with 3,737 total beds/units in service. Of these 42 facilities, 20 are owned, 12 are leased, six are consolidated variable interest entities, and four are managed for third parties. The facilities are located in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio and Oklahoma.
Chris Brogdon, AdCare’s chief acquisition officer, commented, “AdCare has put under contract 59 facilities since we began our M&A campaign in the fall of 2009 and 32 since the beginning of 2011. During the quarter, our M&A program expanded operations into the Southwest, established two additional facilities in Arkansas and Ohio, and put five additional facilities under contract in Oklahoma and five in Arkansas. We continue to expect our new facilities and these pending acquisitions to improve our overall EBITDA margin.”
“We are currently evaluating several attractive opportunities in the Southern region of the U.S.,” concluded Brogdon, “with accretive acquisitions and the optimization of our facilities continuing to be our major focus in 2012.”
It would be impractical to announce every sales success, but investors will be kept informed of all major developments.
What would you like to know?
We are in direct contact with the management team.
FluoroPharma Medical, Inc. (FPMI) and the Growing Need for Tracers
Medical researchers are today coming up with new understandings of the molecular processes that cause disease to a degree never before possible. Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease, among many others, are now being studied at the cellular and molecular level, unlocking the microscopic reactions that ultimately lead to pathology.
These discoveries represent a boon to researchers, but pose something of a conundrum to doctors and drug researchers who desperately want to take advantage of the new-found knowledge. If you’re a doctor, for example, what way do you have of knowing if these critical but hidden processes are taking place in a patient’s cells? Is your only option to wait until the patient gets sick, developing clearly recognizable symptoms? By then, it may be too late to effectively treat the disease. If you’re a drug researcher, are there more exact ways of tracking a drug’s reaction than simply seeing if patients get better?
Positron emission tomography (PET) is by far the most effective way of seeing the subtle chemical reactions going on inside the body. The technology detects rays given off by a positron-emitting radionuclide (tracer). But the tracer must be able to somehow integrate itself into the process being evaluated, and it must do it in such a way that the signals can be interpreted to provide the answers sought.
FluoroPharma Medical is developing the much needed tracer chemicals that do exactly that. The company currently offers three tracer products for the identification of processes related to cardiovascular disease, one of the biggest disease markets in the world. In addition, it is in the process of developing an imaging agent that attaches to the amyloid deposits (plaque) in the brain, making them visible on a PET scan, thus allowing the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
FPMI and the Growing Need for Tracers
Medical researchers are today coming up with new understandings of the molecular processes that cause disease to a degree never before possible. Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease, among many others, are now being studied at the cellular and molecular level, unlocking the microscopic reactions that ultimately lead to pathology.
These discoveries represent a boon to researchers, but pose something of a conundrum to doctors and drug researchers who desperately want to take advantage of the new-found knowledge. If you’re a doctor, for example, what way do you have of knowing if these critical but hidden processes are taking place in a patient’s cells? Is your only option to wait until the patient gets sick, developing clearly recognizable symptoms? By then, it may be too late to effectively treat the disease. If you’re a drug researcher, are there more exact ways of tracking a drug’s reaction than simply seeing if patients get better?
Positron emission tomography (PET) is by far the most effective way of seeing the subtle chemical reactions going on inside the body. The technology detects rays given off by a positron-emitting radionuclide (tracer). But the tracer must be able to somehow integrate itself into the process being evaluated, and it must do it in such a way that the signals can be interpreted to provide the answers sought.
FluoroPharma Medical is developing the much needed tracer chemicals that do exactly that. The company currently offers three tracer products for the identification of processes related to cardiovascular disease, one of the biggest disease markets in the world. In addition, it is in the process of developing an imaging agent that attaches to the amyloid deposits (plaque) in the brain, making them visible on a PET scan, thus allowing the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.
Seeking Alpha Publishes Article Featuring AdCare Health Systems, Inc. (ADK)
Today, Seeking Alpha published the following article featuring AdCare Health: http://seekingalpha.com/article/416831
Few investment opportunities are sweeter than a turnaround, where the value of a company is increased, sometimes dramatically, through the measured application of superior operational procedures, technologies, or marketing approaches. Usually this involves a single company bringing in new management to make the company more efficient or perhaps point the company in a totally new direction. With big companies, a turnaround can take years, even decades, and it's largely a one-shot deal, a relatively rare opportunity that can be hard to identify until the train has already left the station. But there is another type of turnaround scenario, one that is continuous in nature, involving multiple business entities. It's even less common than the traditional situation, but provides unique benefits.
A prime example is AdCare Health Systems, an Ohio-based healthcare service provider that owns, operates, and manages skilled nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and retirement communities in a number of states, largely in the southeast. Facilities include independent living campuses, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and dementia care homes. They also offer comprehensive home health care services. The company itself is not a turnaround target, but has become an aggressive and successful turnaround operator in the highly fragmented assisted living facilities industry.
AdCare has recognized, and is addressing, fundamental industry weaknesses, allowing it to acquire and turn around one operation after another, continually increasing revenue and building its own bottom line. The assisted living facilities industry today consists largely of independently owned local or regional businesses, often family controlled. These properties are frequently low-margin long-term care facilities, trying to deal with inefficiencies common in small independently run businesses. AdCare, using a carefully developed process of target identification, acquisition, and customized restructuring, is continuously in the process of evaluating and taking over such businesses, gradually transitioning them into efficiently run profitable operations, further increasing profit margins by emphasizing higher-margin acute care services supported by Medicare. To date, the strategy has increased Medicare census by 37.5% at acquired facilities.
Although they are careful to avoid states with severe financial problems, which could directly affect income, it's a model they've been able to spread from their home base in Ohio to dozens of facilities in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and North Carolina, as well as other states, with new acquisitions currently underway. The company has a senior management team with decades of related experience, and their facilities have a strong and positive reputation.
AdCare's Chairman, David Tenwick, has extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions, and the raising of capital to keep the process moving, and their CEO, Boyd Gentry, has many years of experience in acquisition and divestiture. With a combined ownership of over 25% of common AdCare stock, the entire management team is incentivized to continue to grow the business for the benefit of shareholders.
It's a formula that seems to have worked. The net result has been ongoing and accelerating growth in revenue, covering several years, with fiscal 2010 and 2011 being the best of all. AdCare is now looking at the largest year-over-year revenue growth in the company's history. Moreover, the company's net income is seeing its first intermittent forays into positive territory. Add to this the fact that the industry is facing one of the biggest aging population booms in history, and the value of AdCare's position becomes clear.
Bert Wilkison of Chicago-based Kinetic Investments, a subsidiary of Wilkison Financial LLC, calls AdCare Health Systems an undervalued buy and hold stock, pointing primarily to the company's growth strategy. According to Wilkison, the reason the stock is undervalued is due to a "lack of understanding and appreciation of its growth plan and strategic acquisition model."
Also pointing to the strength of AdCare's unique approach to a growing but highly fragmented market is the recent positive report on the company by Stonegate Securities. The Stonegate report projects strong growth rates for AdCare over the next few years, 87% for 2012 versus 6% for the industry average, going on to say that the given figures also have notable upside potential, since they do not include currently unannounced acquisitions in the pipeline.
The company is currently trading around $4.30. With approximately 12.7 million shares outstanding, AdCare has a market cap of approximately $54.6 million, which is but a fraction of the company's annual sales of $134.55 million, providing a P/S ratio of only 0.41 (the industry average is more than twice as high). Furthermore, the balance sheet has remained solid throughout AdCare's aggressive M&A program. As of last report, the company held $158.3 million in total assets and $138.3 million in total liabilities.
In short, AdCare has done far more than simply improve an existing product, putting itself in a more competitive position. The company has built a financial engine, continually finding and revamping other businesses. For investors, it's a rare chance to profit from more than just a single turnaround.
Seeking Alpha Publishes Article Featuring ADK
Today, Seeking Alpha published the following article featuring AdCare Health: http://seekingalpha.com/article/416831
Few investment opportunities are sweeter than a turnaround, where the value of a company is increased, sometimes dramatically, through the measured application of superior operational procedures, technologies, or marketing approaches. Usually this involves a single company bringing in new management to make the company more efficient or perhaps point the company in a totally new direction. With big companies, a turnaround can take years, even decades, and it's largely a one-shot deal, a relatively rare opportunity that can be hard to identify until the train has already left the station. But there is another type of turnaround scenario, one that is continuous in nature, involving multiple business entities. It's even less common than the traditional situation, but provides unique benefits.
A prime example is AdCare Health Systems, an Ohio-based healthcare service provider that owns, operates, and manages skilled nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and retirement communities in a number of states, largely in the southeast. Facilities include independent living campuses, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and dementia care homes. They also offer comprehensive home health care services. The company itself is not a turnaround target, but has become an aggressive and successful turnaround operator in the highly fragmented assisted living facilities industry.
AdCare has recognized, and is addressing, fundamental industry weaknesses, allowing it to acquire and turn around one operation after another, continually increasing revenue and building its own bottom line. The assisted living facilities industry today consists largely of independently owned local or regional businesses, often family controlled. These properties are frequently low-margin long-term care facilities, trying to deal with inefficiencies common in small independently run businesses. AdCare, using a carefully developed process of target identification, acquisition, and customized restructuring, is continuously in the process of evaluating and taking over such businesses, gradually transitioning them into efficiently run profitable operations, further increasing profit margins by emphasizing higher-margin acute care services supported by Medicare. To date, the strategy has increased Medicare census by 37.5% at acquired facilities.
Although they are careful to avoid states with severe financial problems, which could directly affect income, it's a model they've been able to spread from their home base in Ohio to dozens of facilities in Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, and North Carolina, as well as other states, with new acquisitions currently underway. The company has a senior management team with decades of related experience, and their facilities have a strong and positive reputation.
AdCare's Chairman, David Tenwick, has extensive experience in mergers, acquisitions, and the raising of capital to keep the process moving, and their CEO, Boyd Gentry, has many years of experience in acquisition and divestiture. With a combined ownership of over 25% of common AdCare stock, the entire management team is incentivized to continue to grow the business for the benefit of shareholders.
It's a formula that seems to have worked. The net result has been ongoing and accelerating growth in revenue, covering several years, with fiscal 2010 and 2011 being the best of all. AdCare is now looking at the largest year-over-year revenue growth in the company's history. Moreover, the company's net income is seeing its first intermittent forays into positive territory. Add to this the fact that the industry is facing one of the biggest aging population booms in history, and the value of AdCare's position becomes clear.
Bert Wilkison of Chicago-based Kinetic Investments, a subsidiary of Wilkison Financial LLC, calls AdCare Health Systems an undervalued buy and hold stock, pointing primarily to the company's growth strategy. According to Wilkison, the reason the stock is undervalued is due to a "lack of understanding and appreciation of its growth plan and strategic acquisition model."
Also pointing to the strength of AdCare's unique approach to a growing but highly fragmented market is the recent positive report on the company by Stonegate Securities. The Stonegate report projects strong growth rates for AdCare over the next few years, 87% for 2012 versus 6% for the industry average, going on to say that the given figures also have notable upside potential, since they do not include currently unannounced acquisitions in the pipeline.
The company is currently trading around $4.30. With approximately 12.7 million shares outstanding, AdCare has a market cap of approximately $54.6 million, which is but a fraction of the company's annual sales of $134.55 million, providing a P/S ratio of only 0.41 (the industry average is more than twice as high). Furthermore, the balance sheet has remained solid throughout AdCare's aggressive M&A program. As of last report, the company held $158.3 million in total assets and $138.3 million in total liabilities.
In short, AdCare has done far more than simply improve an existing product, putting itself in a more competitive position. The company has built a financial engine, continually finding and revamping other businesses. For investors, it's a rare chance to profit from more than just a single turnaround.
Cytokinetics, Inc. (CYTK) Receives Orphan Drug Designation from European Medicines Agency
Cytokinetics Inc., a clinical-stage biopharm company developing novel small molecule therapeutics for the potential treatment of serious diseases and medical conditions, today announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted the company’s lead drug candidate CK-2017357 orphan medicinal product designation for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
CK-2017357 is currently in phase II clinical development program in patients with ALS, and has also been granted orphan drug designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the potential treatment of ALS, a debilitating disease of neuromuscular impairment.
Orphan drug designation offers several potential incentives, including the possibility of a 10-year period of EU marketing exclusivity from the date of marketing authorization, EU-funded research, protocol assistance, and fee reductions.
“We are pleased that the EMA has granted orphan medicinal product status to CK-2017357 for the treatment of ALS.
This designation, along with a similar orphan drug designation already received in the U.S. from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, underscores the potential for this novel drug candidate to address significant unmet medical needs in patients suffering from this grievous and uniformly fatal disease,” Andrew A. Wolff, M.D, senior vice president of clinical research and development and chief medical officer of Cytokinetics stated in the press release. “We look forward to working closely with the relevant regulatory authorities, as well as with our clinical investigators and key opinion leaders in the field of ALS, to advance this important and promising drug candidate rapidly through the next stages of clinical research and development.”
The company reports that CK-2017357 demonstrated potentially clinically relevant pharmacodynamic effects in a phase IIa Evidence of Effect clinical trial in ALS patients, showing that the single doses of CK-2017357 evaluated were generally well-tolerated. Cytokinetics has met with the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research’s Division of Neurology Products, as well as with the EMA, to discuss its progress and future in the development of CK-2017357 as a potential treatment for patients with ALS, and said it anticipates conducting additional meetings with U.S. and European regulatory authorities during 2012 for further discussions.
For more information visit www.cytokinetics.com
Blue Calypso, Inc. (BCYP) Continues Record Growth in Campaign Shares and Impressions
Blue Calypso, Inc., a digital word-of-mouth advertising, marketing, and loyalty company, today announced that its patented Calyp platform continues to experience rapid acceleration with more than 76 million impressions delivered in 2011 and a current reach of more than 5 million and growing.
The company’s ability to drive campaign shares and impressions is key in its delivery of cost-effective advertising, and Blue Calypso’s December 2011 campaign shares were up more than 2,100 percent over January 2011’s monthly campaign performance metrics, with an increase of more than 5,600 percent in impressions. This year, the company’s trend of adoption and growth continues with February 2012 campaign shares that were up 76 percent and impressions that were up 47 percent over December 2011 performance. As this growth trend continues, the company is engineering Calyp to scale considerably and deliver a rich set of features.
Blue Calypso has released the third generation of its Calyp platform, and as the company continues to lead innovations in digital word-of-mouth it has identified additional features and enhancements that are now available in this new release. Calyp v3 features a significant enhancement to the back-end campaign builder, image rendering engine, and administration system for brand advertisers and their agencies. The new version also includes the ability to personalize a brand endorsement with pictures and videos of the endorser engaging with the brand.
Around 80 percent of Calyp brand endorsements come from endorsers’ mobile devices. Since mobile users love to document their life moments through mobile photography and video, it was a natural addition to add the ability to combine brand affinity with rich media for a more personal and genuine brand endorsement. The goal in creating Calyp v3 was to enhance the ability of both the brand advertiser and the endorser to engage with one another in an enhanced collaborative experience.
Blue Calypso unleashes the power of customer relationships across mobile and social media communities through its Calyp platform. Through Calyp, customers of brands and businesses share personalized campaigns with friends via social media and text messages and, in return, receive rewards and incentives. The Calyp campaign management system includes a collaborative dashboard, ad rendering, and campaign distribution engine, as well as comprehensive performance analytics and social listening.
For more information visit www.Calyp.com
Resolute Energy Corp. (REN) Issues Financial Update for 2012
Resolute Energy updated investors on the company’s financial operations for 2012, as well as provided guidance on capital expenditures and expenses for 2012. The company also reported data on crude oil and natural gas reserves and production for 2012.
Resolute Energy has established a capital budget between $180 million and $190 million for 2012, with about 65% of the funds to be used for the development of oil and gas assets on the company’s properties. The balance of the budget will be spent on infrastructure needed to transport and process oil and natural gas production.
Resolute Energy plans to fund the 2012 capital budget with internally generated cash flow derived from oil and natural gas sales and borrowings under the company’s credit line. The company has $157 million of availability on its borrowing facility.
Resolute Energy expects the company’s oil and natural gas production for 2012 to range from 3.25 million to 3.45 million barrels of oil equivalent (BOE). The midpoint of this production range would be 15% growth over the 2.92 million BOE produced in 2011.
Resolute Energy reported proved reserves of 64.8 million BOE at the end of 2011, compared to 64.7 million BOE at the end of the previous year. The company said that approximately 82% of its proved reserves were composed of crude oil.
For more information on the company, go to www.resoluteenergy.com
Nasdaq 3,000 More Important Than Dow 13,000
The Dow Jones Industrial Average breaking through the 13,000 barrier for the first time since May 2008 certainly made for big financial market headlines. But there may be an even more significant event on the horizon, the Nasdaq hitting the 3,000 mark.
The Nasdaq, of course, is technology-laden, and it’s technology stocks like Apple that have been leading the stock market’s charge higher. The last time the Nasdaq saw the psychologically significant 3,000 level was in December 2001. At that time, the Nasdaq was dropping through the 3,000 level as the technology industry struggled with the designs of handheld devices, the very thing that is now driving the sector higher.
The Nasdaq powering higher on the back of tech stocks is just what analysts like Ryan Detrick, senior analyst at Schaeffer’s Investment Research, want to see. “We want to see leadership from the more aggressive areas, especially technology,” he said. Dave Rovelli, managing director of trading at Canaccord Genuity, agrees with Mr. Detrick, “To see the Nasdaq going to 3,000 on real earnings is a lot bigger deal [than Dow 13,000].”
The only question which remains for investors is not whether the earnings Mr. Rovelli has been talking about are real, but whether they can be maintained in the coming quarters. Stock market bears keep talking about peak earnings and how the fast pace of earnings growth will not be maintained. Obviously, the bulls think earnings growth will be maintained, especially in technology, and they control the battlefield right now.
Marshall Edwards, Inc. (MSHL) Cancer Drug Success Continues, IND Submitted to FDA for ME-344, Advances Made in ME-143 Trials
Today, Marshall Edwards, which is steadily breaking new ground in the field of cancer therapeutics via naturally occurring isoflavone compounds that short circuit the metabolism of cancer cells by disrupting key enzyme interactions, reported submission of an IND (investigational new drug) application to the FDA, readying to initiate clinical testing for the company’s lead mitochondrial inhibitor ME-344.
ME-344 is actually a second front in MSHL’s oncology campaign, as the company has also developed a second lead program focused on a different small molecule compound, ME-143, the lead candidate from a family of NADH oxidase inhibitor compounds. These two programs, focusing on two families of compounds, while related, have unique mechanism of action properties.
ME-344 pulls the plug on tumor cell metabolic processes, a mitochondrial inhibitor (and an active metabolite of first-generation compound NV-128) that bleeds out cellular energy, inhibiting both mammalian target rapamycin pathways (mTOR1/2). It is important to note that the NADH oxidase inhibitor program that spawned the next-gen ME-143 also contains first-gen Phenoxodiol, which has been well tolerated in hundreds of patients.
President and CEO of MSHL, Daniel P. Gold, Ph.D., spoke with great pride in the company’s achievements to date, citing the advancement of this IND and the preparations to go into Phase I clinical trials of intravenous ME-344 (in solid refractory tumors), fast on the heels of the approval by FDA of the ME-143 IND (Aug 16, 2011).
MSHL is doing quite well in the oncology space and investors are keen to see more results from the company, which owns exclusive worldwide rights to all of its drug candidates, including the aforementioned. The Company also announced that cohort four of Phase I clinical intravenous ME-143 (also solid refractory tumors) was being dosed as per schedule, with final safety/pharmacokinetic data collection projected for this June.
Chief Medical Officer of MSHL, Robert Mass, M.D., underscored the company’s continued successful execution of their clinical development strategy, pointing to this IND and the pending data burst from the ME-143 trials as evidence not only of this fact, but also the true potential of both platforms/ lead drug candidates. Dr. Mass explained that as MSHL awaits approval of the ME-344 IND and approaches completion of enrollment in the ME-143 Phase I clinical, the company was hard at work gearing up for Phase II.
With projections for the worldwide cancer market exceeding $78B in 2012 (Global Cancer Treatment Forecast to 2012 – RNCOS, one of the top global market research and information analysis shops), there is tremendous potential for such novel therapeutics as MSHL has to offer; therapeutics which target cancer cell metabolism from a robust isoflavone technology platform, a platform that has spawned numerous compounds showing anti-tumor activity in a broad spectrum of tumor cell lines. ME-143 has even shown an ability to enhance the cytotoxic effectiveness of extant chemotherapies.
For more information about today’s application or either of the company’s programs/candidates, please visit the Marshall Edwards, Inc. website at: www.MarshallEdwardsInc.com
GWIV Establishes Channel Sales Partnership with Primary Solutions
GlobalWise Investments and its wholly owned subsidiary Intellinetics, Inc., a leading-edge technology company focused on the design, implementation and management of cloud-based Enterprise Content Management (“ECM”) systems in both the public and private sectors, today provided the investment community with an overview of one the company’s channel sales partners, Primary Solutions, Inc.
Primary Solutions is an Ohio-based provider of software products and services for private and governmental markets within the developmentally disabled community. Founded in 1998, Primary Solutions serves over 330 private agencies and governmental entities.
Primary Solutions was one of the first to join Intellinetics’ channel partner program in 2011 as part of the company’s first steps toward transitioning from a direct sales model to a channel sales model. Since that time, this individual channel partner has secured twelve Intellivue™ ECM sales, three of which were closed in the first two months of 2012, collectively representing approximately $430,000 in incremental revenue and averaging approximately $36,000 per sale.
“The Intellivue™ ECM solution has been a great addition to our software portfolio,” commented Brian Marshall, President of Primary Solutions, Inc. “This robust ECM solution has enabled our clients to better manage and control their documents. With the sensitive nature of patient information, it is vital that privacy is upheld and the redaction capability of the Intellivue™ software allows us to manage privacy and security more effectively than any other solution we’ve seen in the marketplace.”
“We began the transition to a channel sales model in 2011 as a part of a new strategy to rapidly expand our sales capability,” stated William J. “BJ” Santiago, CEO of GlobalWise. “With the Intellivue™ software platform now cloud-enabled, our service delivery model is highly scalable and our software can be delivered virtually anywhere in the world. By implementing a channel sales model with strategic partners who are already selling software solutions into our target markets, we’re now able to more efficiently access a much larger universe of potential clients.”
“The development of an effective channel sales strategy was one of my top priorities when I arrived at the Company from Lexmark International,” added Santiago. “While each channel partner is unique and sales expectations vary by relationship, throughout 2011 we added a total of 14 new channel sales partners and expect to expand the program significantly in 2012.”
GlobalWise Investments, Inc. (GWIV) Establishes Channel Sales Partnership with Primary Solutions
GlobalWise Investments and its wholly owned subsidiary Intellinetics, Inc., a leading-edge technology company focused on the design, implementation and management of cloud-based Enterprise Content Management (“ECM”) systems in both the public and private sectors, today provided the investment community with an overview of one the company’s channel sales partners, Primary Solutions, Inc.
Primary Solutions is an Ohio-based provider of software products and services for private and governmental markets within the developmentally disabled community. Founded in 1998, Primary Solutions serves over 330 private agencies and governmental entities.
Primary Solutions was one of the first to join Intellinetics’ channel partner program in 2011 as part of the company’s first steps toward transitioning from a direct sales model to a channel sales model. Since that time, this individual channel partner has secured twelve Intellivue™ ECM sales, three of which were closed in the first two months of 2012, collectively representing approximately $430,000 in incremental revenue and averaging approximately $36,000 per sale.
“The Intellivue™ ECM solution has been a great addition to our software portfolio,” commented Brian Marshall, President of Primary Solutions, Inc. “This robust ECM solution has enabled our clients to better manage and control their documents. With the sensitive nature of patient information, it is vital that privacy is upheld and the redaction capability of the Intellivue™ software allows us to manage privacy and security more effectively than any other solution we’ve seen in the marketplace.”
“We began the transition to a channel sales model in 2011 as a part of a new strategy to rapidly expand our sales capability,” stated William J. “BJ” Santiago, CEO of GlobalWise. “With the Intellivue™ software platform now cloud-enabled, our service delivery model is highly scalable and our software can be delivered virtually anywhere in the world. By implementing a channel sales model with strategic partners who are already selling software solutions into our target markets, we’re now able to more efficiently access a much larger universe of potential clients.”
“The development of an effective channel sales strategy was one of my top priorities when I arrived at the Company from Lexmark International,” added Santiago. “While each channel partner is unique and sales expectations vary by relationship, throughout 2011 we added a total of 14 new channel sales partners and expect to expand the program significantly in 2012.”
Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. (ASM) Adds to Its Mining Team
Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. is a precious metals exploration and production company operating in Canada with full control of the Avino Mine, located in Mexico. This mine to date has produced 16 million ounces of silver, 150,000 ounces of gold, and 24 million pounds of copper. The company today announced the appointment of several new members of its team, who will be pivotal in Avino’s future expansion plans.
With development work underway to re-open the Avino vein, the company made a key move by acquiring the services of Gerardo Mejia as mine superintendent. He was the last superintendent at the Avino mine before it closed in 2001. Since the suspension of operations in 2001, Mr. Mejia has worked for Capstone Gold at its Cazamin Mine in Mexico and the Mexican miner Minas de Basis at its El Herrero Mine, as well as for Pan American Silver at its La Colorada Mine in Mexico.
Avino also retained the services of two new field geologists, Bartolome Gonzalez and Sergio Portilo, to help with both surface and underground exploration. Mr. Gonzalex was formerly employed as head of the mining unit for Capstone Mining while Mr. Portilo oversaw diamond drilling and geochemical sampling at the Rodeo Project for Rojo Resources.
Finally, the company announced the appointment of Malcolm Davidson to replace Ms. Lisa Sharp as chief financial officer of Avino. He spent the past eight years articled with a Vancouver-based chartered accountant firm. During this time, Mr. Davidson specialized in assurance, corporate taxation, and business advisory engagements.
For additional information about Avino Silver & Gold Mines, please visit the company’s website at www.avino.com
CommerceTel Corp. (MFON) Marketing Solutions Triple Miami Dolphins Mobile Subscriber Base
Today, CommerceTel, an award-winning provider of proprietary mobile marketing technologies and solutions, reported more than a 300% increase in Miami Dolphins’ mobile subscriber base during the past year. The Miami Dolphins have been using CommerceTel’s patented mobile marketing technology to build an even stronger direct connection with their fanbase and ultimately drive higher sponsorship revenues and ad sales.
The Miami Dolphins launched multiple innovative mobile marketing initiatives, including news, scores, seats, and offers. On the FINSIDERS radio show, fans were able to send questions directly to the studio hosts and guests via text messages and share comments with each other via a game-day ticker on the MiamiDolphins.com site. Text-to-win promotions encouraged fan interaction and helped drive mobile subscriptions as well. The Dolphins used CommerceTel’s web-based campaign management and reporting platform to create and execute each of these successful initiatives.
“Mobile has quickly become an integral part of our overall marketing and fan engagement strategy,” stated Wayne Partello, Senior Director of Content and Creative Services for the Miami Dolphins. “We wanted to communicate with our loyal and passionate fans anytime, anywhere, and in a cost-effective way. Using CommerceTel’s mobile marketing platform, we not only increased our mobile subscribers by over 300%, but also exceeded our advertising revenue projections by a wide margin.”
According to the press release, every mobile messaging campaign generated subscriber growth, with the Miami Dolphins’ mobile news alerts campaign growing by 370%. The Dolphins have also launched a tribe specific to their cheerleaders and the ability for fans to join by texting “Cheer” to 347347. Season ticket holders will also have the option to receive communications via text as their preferred form of communication versus email, phone, or print.
For further information on CommerceTel and its award-winning mobile marketing technologies, visit www.commercetel.com
VistaGen Therapeutics (VSTA) Enters Into Strategic Research Collaboration with Duke University
VistaGen Therapeutics just announced that it has entered into a strategic research collaboration with Duke University, one of the country’s premier academic research institutions, to combine their complementary expertise at the forefront of cardiac stem cell technology, electrophysiology, and tissue engineering.
The research will be led at Duke, by Dr. Nenad Bursac, Associate Professor in the Departments of Cardiology and Biomedical Engineering, and at VistaGen, by Dr. Ralph Snodgrass, President and Chief Scientific Officer. The initial goal of the collaboration is to explore potential development of novel, engineered, stem cell-derived cardiac tissues to expand the scope of VistaGen’s drug rescue capabilities focused on heart toxicity.
“We are pleased to be collaborating with Dr. Bursac and his team at Duke,” stated Dr. Snodgrass. “Our human stem cell-derived heart cells combined with Dr. Bursac’s cutting-edge technology relating to cardiac electrophysiology and cardiac tissue engineering will permit us to use micro-patterned cardiac tissue to significantly expand the approaches we use in our Drug Rescue Programs to quantify drug effects on functional human cardiac tissue — in effect, synthetic human heart muscle.”
Dr. Bursac is a leader in the field of cardiac tissue engineering and cell-based therapies in which different cells, either alone or in combination with therapeutic molecules or biomaterials, can be transplanted into the human body to restore function of damaged or diseased organs. Dr. Bursac’s research has additional applications in the fields of cardiac electrophysiology, in vitro drug screening, and the generation of novel bioengineered model systems for studies of heart development, function, and disease.
BioClinica, Inc. (BIOC) Chosen by Grünenthal to Support Clinical Trials
Grünenthal GmbH, an international research based pharmaceutical company, has signed a global license agreement with BioClinica, a global provider of clinical trial management solutions, to use BioClinica OnPoint CTMS in support of Grünenthal’s ongoing clinical trials. Grünenthal concluded that OnPoint could deliver on their stated requirements faster and more cost effectively, and liked the fact that OnPoint could integrate with other clinical systems. OnPoint also allows clinical staff to do much of their work within Microsoft Office applications, a familiar environment.
BioClinica supports pharmaceutical and medical device innovation with imaging core lab, internet image transport, electronic data capture, interactive voice and web response, clinical trial management, clinical supply chain design, and associated optimization solutions. The company has been involved in the clinical development of many new medicines from early phase trials through final approval and operates advanced imaging core labs on two continents. They support worldwide eClinical and data management services from offices in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
BioClinica’s OnPoint solutions are designed to help sponsors of clinical trials and CROs efficiently access, share, and analyze operational trial data by leveraging Microsoft® SharePoint standard collaboration and office automation tools. Users can interact with OnPoint via Microsoft Office applications, such as Outlook, Excel, and Word, through its integration with SharePoint. Interoperability is increased by a standards-based architecture supporting XML-based conventions and CDISC standards. BioClinica’s patent-pending data interchange technology eases the acquisition of operational data from multiple sources in real-time, facilitating integration with legacy and enterprise applications
.
CEO of BioClinica, Mark Weinstein, commented on the announcement, “We are proud to be selected to support Grünenthal’s clinical trial support needs, world-wide. This agreement demonstrates the results of our continuing commitment to deliver innovative technology solutions that help customers execute and manage their clinical trials with greater efficiency and speed.”
For additional information, visit the company’s website at www.bioclinica.com
VistaGen Therapeutics (VSTA) Enters Into Strategic Research Collaboration with Duke University
VistaGen Therapeutics just announced that it has entered into a strategic research collaboration with Duke University, one of the country’s premier academic research institutions, to combine their complementary expertise at the forefront of cardiac stem cell technology, electrophysiology, and tissue engineering.
The research will be led at Duke, by Dr. Nenad Bursac, Associate Professor in the Departments of Cardiology and Biomedical Engineering, and at VistaGen, by Dr. Ralph Snodgrass, President and Chief Scientific Officer. The initial goal of the collaboration is to explore potential development of novel, engineered, stem cell-derived cardiac tissues to expand the scope of VistaGen’s drug rescue capabilities focused on heart toxicity.
“We are pleased to be collaborating with Dr. Bursac and his team at Duke,” stated Dr. Snodgrass. “Our human stem cell-derived heart cells combined with Dr. Bursac’s cutting-edge technology relating to cardiac electrophysiology and cardiac tissue engineering will permit us to use micro-patterned cardiac tissue to significantly expand the approaches we use in our Drug Rescue Programs to quantify drug effects on functional human cardiac tissue — in effect, synthetic human heart muscle.”
Dr. Bursac is a leader in the field of cardiac tissue engineering and cell-based therapies in which different cells, either alone or in combination with therapeutic molecules or biomaterials, can be transplanted into the human body to restore function of damaged or diseased organs. Dr. Bursac’s research has additional applications in the fields of cardiac electrophysiology, in vitro drug screening, and the generation of novel bioengineered model systems for studies of heart development, function, and disease.
VSTA Enters Into Strategic Research Collaboration with Duke University
VistaGen Therapeutics just announced that it has entered into a strategic research collaboration with Duke University, one of the country’s premier academic research institutions, to combine their complementary expertise at the forefront of cardiac stem cell technology, electrophysiology, and tissue engineering.
The research will be led at Duke, by Dr. Nenad Bursac, Associate Professor in the Departments of Cardiology and Biomedical Engineering, and at VistaGen, by Dr. Ralph Snodgrass, President and Chief Scientific Officer. The initial goal of the collaboration is to explore potential development of novel, engineered, stem cell-derived cardiac tissues to expand the scope of VistaGen’s drug rescue capabilities focused on heart toxicity.
“We are pleased to be collaborating with Dr. Bursac and his team at Duke,” stated Dr. Snodgrass. “Our human stem cell-derived heart cells combined with Dr. Bursac’s cutting-edge technology relating to cardiac electrophysiology and cardiac tissue engineering will permit us to use micro-patterned cardiac tissue to significantly expand the approaches we use in our Drug Rescue Programs to quantify drug effects on functional human cardiac tissue — in effect, synthetic human heart muscle.”
Dr. Bursac is a leader in the field of cardiac tissue engineering and cell-based therapies in which different cells, either alone or in combination with therapeutic molecules or biomaterials, can be transplanted into the human body to restore function of damaged or diseased organs. Dr. Bursac’s research has additional applications in the fields of cardiac electrophysiology, in vitro drug screening, and the generation of novel bioengineered model systems for studies of heart development, function, and disease.