Sanofi-Aventis has announced the opening of the offer by its wholly owned subsidiary Sanofi-Aventis Europe to acquire all issued ordinary shares, including shares held in the form of global depository shares, of Zentiva.

CONMED Linvatec issued Medical Device Safety Alert letters to customers dated July 31, 2009 providing information on findings from the company’s ongoing continuous quality improvement process. Following discussions with the Food and Drug Administration, CONMED Linvatec has now developed a voluntary recall program for the affected products.

In the PRO5 and PRO6 Medical Device Safety Alert Letter, CONMED Linvatec notified customers about the unlikely possibility for units to potentially self-activate. The letter also reminded customers that safe and effective use of the handpieces includes inserting the battery away from the operation site along with not touching or coming into contact with moving parts while inserting the battery, and to follow recommended handling and user instructions. An additional letter listing the affected serial numbers of units is in process of being sent to customers who have the PRO5 & PRO6 series battery handpieces. They will be requested to contact CONMED Linvatec to schedule the return and service of their units. Units manufactured and distributed AFTER May 31, 2008 are not affected by this action.

In the MC5057 Medical Device Safety Alert Letter, CONMED Linvatec notified customers about the unlikely possibility for cables manufactured prior to December 1, 2006, to cause an electric powered handpiece to potentially self-activate. The letter instructed customers to avoid moving parts on the handpiece when the cable is inserted and to follow recommended handling and user instructions. CONMED Linvatec is in the process of notifying customers that have the affected MC5057 Universal Cable. These customers will be instructed to contact CONMED Linvatec to schedule the return of their cables for replacements. MC5057 Universal Cables manufactured and distributed AFTER December 1, 2006 are not affected by this action.

CONMED is a medical technology company with an emphasis on surgical devices and equipment for minimally invasive procedures and patient monitoring.