Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. Purchases Balance of Worldwide Rights for MRA Imaging Agent ABLAVAR® (Gadofosveset Trisodium)
-- Strategic Acquisition Broadens Company’s Diagnostic Imaging Product Portfolio --
N. BILLERICA, Mass. (July 12, 2010) – Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc., a worldwide leader in diagnostic medical imaging, today announced that it has acquired the balance of the worldwide rights for gadofosveset trisodium, a unique, injectable magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) blood pool imaging agent that it currently markets in the United States as ABLAVAR®. ABLAVAR® is indicated for use in adults with known or suspected peripheral vascular disease to evaluate aortoiliac occlusive disease. Lantheus purchased the worldwide rights in a recent auction of the remaining assets of EPIX Pharmaceuticals. The company already owns exclusive rights to ABLAVAR® in the United States, Canada and Australia. Terms of the purchase were not announced.
“Obtaining the balance of the worldwide ownership of ABLAVAR® is part of our strategy to broaden our portfolio of medically important diagnostic imaging products. Our goal is to make this novel blood pool imaging agent available to patients and physicians on an expanded basis,” said Don Kiepert, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc. “Securing global ownership of ABLAVAR® positions us well for future growth and for possible strategic opportunities and partnerships for the product in new geographic areas.”
About ABLAVAR® (gadofosveset trisodium)
ABLAVAR® is the first and only blood pool contrast agent approved for magnetic resonance angiography to evaluate aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD) in patients with known or suspected peripheral vascular disease. The albumin-binding properties of ABLAVAR® make it uniquely designed for vascular imaging allowing multiple images to be obtained using a single, low dose injection. ABLAVAR® is clinically proven to produce high resolution MRA images, combining both dynamic (first pass) and steady state imaging, resulting in diagnostic accuracy comparable to conventional X-ray angiography1,2, the current standard of care for diagnosing vascular disease such as AIOD. Gadofosveset trisodium has been used in nearly 90,000 patients to date3. The compound was formerly marketed as Vasovist® outside the United States. Lantheus acquired exclusive rights for ABLAVAR® in the United States, Canada and Australia in April 2009, and the product was launched in the United States in January 2010.
Indications:
ABLAVAR® is indicated for use as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) to evaluate aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD) in adults with known or suspected peripheral vascular disease.
Contraindications:
History of a prior allergic reaction to a gadolinium-based contrast agent.
Important Safety Information About ABLAVAR®:
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WARNING: NEPHROGENIC SYSTEMIC FIBROSIS (NSF)
In these patients, avoid use of gadolinium-based contrast agents unless the diagnostic information is essential and not available with non-contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). NSF may result in fatal or debilitating systemic fibrosis affecting the skin, muscle, and internal organs. Screen all patients for renal dysfunction by obtaining a history and/or laboratory tests. When administering a gadolinium-based contrast agent, do not exceed the recommended dose and allow a sufficient period of time for elimination of the agent from the body prior to any re-administration. |
ABLAVAR® Injection: As with other contrast media: the possibility of serious or life-threatening anaphylactic or anaphylactoid reactions, including cardiovascular, respiratory and/or cutaneous manifestations, should always be considered. As with other paramagnetic contrast agents, caution should be exercised in patients with renal insufficiency due to the possibility of further deterioration in renal function.
In clinical trials, a small increase (2.8 msec) in the average change from baseline in QTc was observed at 45 minutes. These QTc prolongations were not associated with arrhythmias or symptoms. Caution should be used in patients at high risk for arrhythmias due to baseline QTc prolongation.
Have emergency resuscitative equipment available prior to and during ABLAVAR® administration.
Please see full Prescribing Information, including boxed WARNING regarding Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF), at www.ablavar.com.
About Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc.Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc., a worldwide leader in diagnostic medicine for more than 50 years, is dedicated to creating and providing pioneering medical imaging solutions to improve the treatment of human disease. The company’s proven success in discovering, developing and marketing innovative medical imaging agents provides a strong platform from which to bring forward breakthrough new tools for the diagnosis and management of disease. Lantheus imaging products include the echocardiography contrast agent DEFINITY® Vial for (Perflutren Lipid Microsphere) Injectable Suspension, ABLAVAR® (gadofosveset trisodium), a first-in-class magnetic resonance agent indicated for the evaluation of aortoiliac occlusive disease in adults with known or suspected peripheral vascular disease, TechneLite® (Technetium Tc99m Generator), Cardiolite® (Kit for the Preparation of Technetium Tc99m Sestamibi for Injection), and Thallium 201 (Thallous Chloride Tl 201 Injection). Lantheus has more than 600 employees worldwide with headquarters in North Billerica, Massachusetts, and offices in Puerto Rico, Canada and Australia. For more information, visit www.lantheus.com.
2. Rapp, JH, Wolff, SD, Quinn, SF, et al. Aortoiliac Occlusive Disease in Patients with Known or Suspected Peripheral Vascular Disease: Safety and Efficacy of Gadofosveset-Enhanced Angiography – Multicenter Comparative Phase III Study. Radiology. 2005; 236(1):71-78.
3. Data on File, Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc.