Sunrise Medical, Carlsbad, Calif., has won two contracts for its home healthcare group from Novation, an Irving, Texas-based supply company to VHA Inc. and the University HealthSystem Consortium.

The first agreement, which went into effect July 1, is a continuation of Sunrise's contract with VHA and UHC to provide Bio Clinic support surface products. Officials expect it to contribute $2 million in sales.

The second contract, effective Aug. 1, includes equipment from Sunrise's Personal Care Products division, such as Guardian crutches, standard wheelchairs, walkers and bath safety products. The deal's value is $4 million, officials said.

Masimo Corp., Irvine, Calif., announced licensing agreements to integrate its pulse oximetry technology with monitors of Brazilian manufacturers Bese Ltda, Cabe Ltda and Omnitech Ltda. Masimo Signal Extraction Technology eliminates most false alarms, according to the company.

Smith & Nephew, London, has acquired Piscataway, N.J.-based Exogen Inc., a maker of ultrasound devices designed for use in healing broken bones, for $68 million. The deal expands Smith & Nephew's presence into the orthopedics business. It is the company's second foray into the U.S. market. The company has an alliance to develop artificial skin through Advanced Tissue Sciences, a La Jolla, Calif.-based biotechnology firm.

Mallinckrodt Inc., St. Louis, and Premier Purchasing Partners have expanded and extended a partnership that will provide Premier members access to all Mallinckrodt products. Premier is a group of 230 not-for-profit health systems across the United States. The previous seven-year deal was extended two years through 2006 and now includes pulse oximeters and sensors.