News Briefs

Alvarion, an Israeli company that provides optimized wireless broadband solutions, announced a multi-million dollar project to provide Wi-Fi access in public hot zones around the city of Manila and other key cities in the Philippines. The company will provide PLDT, the largest telecommunications company in the Philippines, over 3,000 hot zones. According to Alvarion, installation has begun on the first phase and the entire project is expected to be completed in two years.

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Teva has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market a generic version of Plavix (Clopidogrel) developed by pharmaceutical company Sanofi. Total US sales of the drug, designed to prevent blood clotting, totaled $ 6.8 billion in the last 12 months, according to medical research agency IMS. In 2007, Plavix was the second-most prescribed drug in the world, after Lipitor (Atorvastatin).

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According to Globes, power tools and mechanical and electrical equipment giant Stanley Black & Decker Inc. might be in advanced talks to acquire Wi-Fi active RFID tag AeroScout Ltd. for $200-250 million. A deal will probably be closed within weeks, Globes said. AeroScout said in response, “The company does not comment on rumors.” Several recent US government tenders indicate that the real-time location services market AeroScout’s business is thriving. The tenders include a $550 million tender by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, published in late 2011, for the installation of real-time RFID-based location systems at its 152 hospitals and 1,400 clinics.

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Avraham Pharmaceuticals announced the commencement of a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its ladostigil drug in patients diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). MCI is a syndrome defined as an intermediate stage between the expected cognitive decline of normal aging and the more pronounced decline of dementia. The 36-month trial will include at least 200 patients in 16 centers in Europe and Israel. In parallel, the company has also completed the enrollment of 200 patients in a Phase 2 trial of ladostigil for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Founded in 2010, Avraham Pharmaceuticals has raised more than $12 million.

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LivePerson, a provider of real-time chat, voice and content solutions, announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire technology and intellectual property assets of Israel-based startup, Amadesa, in an all cash transaction. Amadesa is a provider of website testing and relevance targeting solutions designed to improve online conversions and engagement activity.

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InspireMD, an Israeli medical device company focusing on the development and commercialization of its proprietary stent platform technology for use in patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction, announced positive three-year results from the extended follow up trial of patients suffering from acute coronary syndromes. Acute Myocardial Infarction is commonly known as a heart attack and results from the interruption of blood supply to the heart. According to the company, the results showed that the safety and efficacy of its MGuard stents were maintained at three years.

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Desalitech, a provider of advanced water treatment solutions and technology, announced today that it has secured an equity investment led by Liberation Capital, LLC. The total investment round of $6.25 million will be used for expanding Desalitech’s business and working capital. Liberation will also be supporting Desalitech with considerable project finance capital. Desalitech, based in Tel Aviv, Israel, develops Closed Circuit Desalination (CCD) technologies.

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Simplee, a company that aims to empower consumers to take control of their healthcare expenses, announced that it has raised $6 million in a Series A round of funding led by The Social+Capital Partnership, along with existing investor Greylock Partners. Simplee, launched in 2011, is a free online tool that categorizes and explains all medical expenses in plain language and offers a way to track, review and pay medical claims and bills online. The company is located in Palo Alto, California, and maintains a development center in Israel.

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Israeli company Gamida Cell announced today that it has closed an internal financing round of $10 million from all major shareholders. According to the company, the financing will be used to support the global commercialization of the company’s lead cell therapy product, StemEx. The product is in development as an alternative therapeutic treatment for patients with blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma who can be cured by bone marrow transplantation but do not have a matched bone marrow donor.

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Regentis Biomaterials, a privately held company focused on developing proprietary hydrogels for tissue regeneration, announced that it has raised $10 million in its latest round of funding. The funding was raised from new investors Royal DSM through its venturing subsidiary and from Crossroad Fund, as well as from existing investors Medica Venture Partners, SCPVitalife and the Technion Investment Opportunities Fund. The financing will be used to expand the company’s ongoing clinical efforts of GelrinC – a biodegradable implant that allows regeneration of damaged knee joints. Established in 2004, Regentis Biomaterials has offices in Or Akiva, Israel and Princeton, New Jersey.

 

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myThings , an Israeli online advertising technology company, has raised $8.4 million in a financing round led by Viola Private Equity Fund, the fund announced today. myThings, founded in 2005, is a startup that helps increase revenue for advertisers online by providing personalized display advertising, individualized and in real time. To date, the company raised $37 million and has 100 employees, 65 of which are in Israel.

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Medinol has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to sell its PioNIR Plus stent. This is on the basis of the results of a comprehensive trial of the product that was completed a year ago. The PioNIR Plus stent, also sold under the name Presillion Plus, is a stent developed by Medinol for coronary arteries. It is of the ‘bare metal’ type, meaning the stents are not coated with medication.

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Base, the developer of cross-platform CRM products, announced that it has raised $6.8 million in Series B funding led by Index Ventures with participation of Social+Capital Partnership, OCA Ventures and I2A fund. Founded in 2009 by Israeli entrepreneur Uzi Shmilovici, Base allows businesses to manage their sales, offering business contact management and sales tracking software. According to the company, it secured the capital after growing its user base by more than 500 percent since the beginning of the year. The company is headquartered in Chicago.

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Medgenics, the developer of technology for the sustained production and delivery of therapeutic proteins in patients using their own tissue, reported that its wholly owned subsidiary Medgenics Medical Israel was awarded a government grant of up to NIS 8.1 million (approximately $2.2 million) from the Office of the Chief Scientist in Israel. The grant will be used to cover R&D expenses to support further clinical development of the company’s proprietary tissue-based Biopump platform technology. Medgenics holds offices in San Francisco, California and Misgav, Israel.

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EMC Corp, which was holding in the past months talks to buy flash-memory storage company XtremIO, announced it will acquire the company for approximately $450 million. XtremeIO, founded in 2009 and based in Herzliya, Israel, has offices in San Jose, California. XtremIO is EMC’s sixth acquisition in Israel

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