Nastech Pharmaceutical Co. of Bothell posted a third-quarter loss of $7.8 million, or 36 cents per share, compared to a net loss of $8.8 million in the same period last year. The developer of nasally inhaled drugs said revenue was up dramatically, to $5.5 million compared to $1.2 million in the year-ago period. Some of the revenue included payments from development agreements with pharmaceutical companies.
Zumiez sales soar in October
Zumiez Inc., the Everett-based retailer of action sports equipment and clothing, said net sales during October rose by nearly 51 percent, to $19.9 million, compared to the same period of 2005. Much of the sales growth came from the chain’s new stores, while same-store sales at locations open a year or more totaled $15.9 percent.
Bothell cardiac firm nearly breaks even
Cardiac Science Corp. reported a net loss for the third quarter of $300,000, or a penny per share, compared to a $600,000 loss in the same period last year. The Bothell maker of heart defibrillators and cardiac monitoring equipment’s revenue totaled $38 million, up 39 percent from the same period last year.
Premera survey finds improving health care
Medical quality in Washington state has improved since 2002, according to the fifth annual Quality Score Card, a joint effort by medical groups throughout Washington and Premera Blue Cross. Mountlake Terrace-based Premera reported that an estimated 72 percent of medical care delivered by the medical groups showed improvement in the score card’s standards of quality last year for a representative range of preventive, acute and chronic care. The survey can be found online at www.premera.com/qsc.
US Airways orders winglets for 757s
US Airways has ordered winglets for seven Boeing Co. 757-200 airplanes, for retrofit beginning in January. The blended winglets, aerodynamic devices added to the tips of wings, will boost the range on US Airways’ jets and provide a fuel savings of more than 200,000 gallons annually, according to Boeing. The carrier will use its refurbished aircraft for routes between the East Coast and Europe.
Washington Mutual cuts jobs in 2 cities
Seattle-based Washington Mutual, the nation’s largest savings and loan, is laying off 255 workers as part of its efforts to trim costs amid a downturn in the national housing market. Sixty-five layoffs in Sacramento, Calif., and 190 in Austin, Texas, will take effect by the end of December.
Blockbuster boosts online DVD service
Blockbuster Inc. has begun a new service that allows customers renting DVDs online to return them to neighborhood stores and receive a free in-store rental. It’s one of several new consumer perks that Blockbuster Chief Executive John Antioco hopes will strengthen ties between the company’s online and brick-and-mortar businesses. The new program is called Blockbuster TotalAccess, and is the company’s latest development in competing with online rental sites such as Netflix Inc.
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