POSSIS PROFITS IFFY, ANALYST SAYS

In a new Lazard Capital Markets report, analyst Alexander Arrow said Possis Medical's July-quarter results show slightly lower-than-expected revenue.

Arrow pointed to "the apparent slow patient enrollment into the company's important Jet-Stent trial," which Lazard Capital Markets views as necessary to reverse the skepticism of many clinicians about the company's AngioJet's effectiveness.

A variety of new product launches are upcoming, as expected, Arrow said,

including the UltraConsole. This product appears to be slipping in its U.S. launch timeline, as it is still not introduced despite a July launch prediction, he said.

The GuardDog DVT-treating device may launch by the end of 2006 but does not appear to be large enough to matter to revenue until early 2007, Arrow added.

The Possis' VG catheter could also earn a CE mark in "next few months," he said.