Note 8 - Modification of Co-Development Agreement
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3 Months Ended | ||
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Mar. 31, 2014
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Modification Of Co Development Agreement [Abstract] | |||
Modification Of Co Development Agreement [Text Block] |
In February 2014, the Company and Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. (“Siemens Medical”) entered into a Development Agreement (the “New Siemens Agreement”), which replaced and supersedes the Company’s Cooperation and Development Agreement with Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Healthcare Sector (“Siemens AG”) entered into in 2009 (the “Original Siemens Agreement”). Therefore, upon execution of the New Siemens Agreement, the Company and Siemens AG terminated the Original Siemens Agreement. References below to “Siemens” will mean Siemens Medical or Siemens AG, as applicable. Under the Original Siemens Agreement, Siemens and the Company performed initial work related to the development of hardware and software needed for MRI-guided, catheter-based ablation procedures to treat cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation. Pursuant to the terms of the Original Siemens Agreement, the Company generally was responsible for developing catheters and other hardware, and Siemens was responsible for developing software, to the Company’s specifications. The Company was responsible for paying Siemens for its software development work, but, under the Original Siemens Agreement, Siemens owned the software. Working closely with the Company, Siemens created a research version of the software platform specifically for use in MRI-guided cardiac ablation procedures with the Company’s catheters, but a commercial version was not developed under the Original Siemens Agreement. Under the New Siemens Agreement, the Company, with cooperation, assistance and technical support from Siemens, will develop the commercial version of the research software platform created by Siemens under the Original Siemens Agreement. Once the development work is completed, subject to appropriate regulatory clearance or approval, the Company will sell the software as its own product. Under the New Siemens Agreement, Siemens will develop certain software features (the “Host Features”) for a planned software release for certain Siemens MAGNETOM MRI systems. The Host Features will enable the connection of the Company’s software and catheters to those MAGNETOM MRI systems, and the Company will pay Siemens to perform development work for the Host Features. The Host Features, which will be owned by Siemens, will run within the MRI scanner system. The Host Features will then connect to the Company’s software, which will operate on a separate computer workstation, and enable the performance of MRI-guided cardiac ablation procedures. |