C R Bard Inc

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., the No. 2 seller of oral contraceptives in the U.S., named Charles Slacik as chief financial officer and said it expanded an agreement to sell drugs made by India's Cipla Ltd. Slacik, 49, former CFO at medical-device maker C.R. Bard Inc., replaces Michael Boxer, who announced his resignation in November. Shares of Corona-based Watson rose $1.10, or 3.8%, to $30.05 on the NYSE.

Royce B. Everett, co-inventor of certain laser devices with Trimedyne Inc., has filed suit seeking a share of $6.5 million that the Irvine company received in settling a 3-year-old lawsuit against distributor C.R. Bard Inc. The suit, which names Trimedyne and Bard as defendants, alleges breach of an exclusive, global distribution agreement among other claims, Trimedyne said Wednesday.

Trimedyne Inc. in Irvine is hoping to spark the interest of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in a laser procedure that it has already used overseas for the past 2 1/2 years to treat thousands of men afflicted with enlarged prostate glands. The company said Monday that it has asked the FDA for permission to sell its so-called "Urolase" product in this country. The device employs a side-firing laser that cuts into the prostate and relieves pressure in the enlarged gland.

Trimedyne Inc. said Thursday that it has received federal approval to market a laser product for urological surgeries. "We believe this will provide a significant and material effect on the future growth of our company," said Richard A. Dremmer, Trimedyne's corporate secretary. Irvine-based Trimedyne markets lasers and laser catheters for opening clogged blood vessels and for use in surgery. Last year, the firm won Food and Drug Administration approval to use a laser for removing gallbladders.

Trimedyne Inc., a manufacturer of surgical laser devices, said it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to market a new laser device designed to treat stomach and intestinal maladies. Word of Wednesday's federal approval of the lateralase catheter for use in gastroenterology sent Trimedyne's stock up 75 cents a share by the end of the day to close at $10.63 in brisk over-the-counter trading. The stock closed Thursday at $10.

For years, Orange County has been the home of a commercial development firm, owned by the Birtcher family, that eschews use of labels such as "company" or "group" and simply goes by the name Birtcher. Now there's a new Birtcher organization in the county, one that makes electronic surgical instruments. It has no business connection with the Birtcher development firm in Laguna Niguel. But it shares the Birtcher name because it was founded 53 years ago by a member of the same family.

Six months ago, Pancretec Inc.'s days appeared numbered. The 4-year-old medical supply company was virtually out of cash, had just hired its third chief executive in seven months, and, after an unbroken string of quarterly losses totaling $5.5 million, seemed unable to turn a profit. Today, Pancretec may be on the road to recovery. Second-quarter sales were double those of the previous year and prospects for continued growth have improved, in part because of the spreading AIDS epidemic.

Shares in Trimedyne Inc. fell nearly 10% in heavy trading Tuesday after the maker of surgical lasers announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is delaying approval of a new laser for treating enlarged prostate glands. The selloff of Trimedyne stock came after the company announced that the FDA was postponing a decision on its Urolase device until researchers rework some data included in the company's voluminous application.