Life Molecular Imaging and SOFIE announce Neuraceq® availability in Houston

Improved supply capabilities of Neuraceq^® to provide better patient access to beta-amyloid PET

BOSTON, Jan. 9, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Molecular Imaging (LMI) and SOFIE Biosciences (SOFIE), a national US manufacturer and developer of PET radiopharmaceuticals, announce that the companies have expanded their strategic partnership and licensing agreement to provide and distribute Neuraceq® out of SOFIE's radiopharmaceutical manufacturing site located in Houston, Texas. The first doses will be available on January 9^th, 2023.

Neuraceq^® is an FDA-approved imaging agent for the detection of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain of adult patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's disease and other causes of cognitive decline. It is used in clinical routine and is also a powerful imaging biomarker for the appropriate characterisation of subjects enrolled in clinical trials to support drug development in neurodegenerative diseases.

"With the addition of Houston, TX to our distribution network, Life Molecular Imaging continues to expand the availability of Neuraceq^®, an important diagnostic imaging tool for the detection of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain. We are truly excited about our continued collaboration with SOFIE to provide greater availability of our approved beta-amyloid tracer Neuraceq^® to physicians and their patients, and to our pharma partners for routine clinical and research use," said Ludger Dinkelborg, Ph.D., Managing Director at LMI.

Patrick Phelps, SOFIE president & CEO states, "After many years of hard work from numerous scientists and clinicians, the recent news in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease seems extremely promising. SOFIE is committed to the further expansion and availability of LMI's Neuraceq^® PET diagnostic tracer throughout our national PET manufacturing and dispensing network."

About Neuraceq^® (florbetaben 18F)

Indication

Neuraceq^® is a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging of the brain to estimate beta amyloid neuritic plaque density in adult patients with cognitive impairment who are being evaluated for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other causes of cognitive decline.

A negative Neuraceq^® scan indicates sparse to no amyloid neuritic plaques and is inconsistent with a neuropathological diagnosis of AD at the time of image acquisition; a negative scan result reduces the likelihood that a patient's cognitive impairment is due to AD. A positive Neuraceq^® scan indicates moderate to frequent amyloid neuritic plaques; neuropathological examination has shown this amount of amyloid neuritic plaque is present in patients with AD but may also be present in patients with other types of neurologic conditions as well as older people with normal cognition. Neuraceq^® is an adjunct to other diagnostic evaluations.

Limitations of Use

• A positive Neuraceq^® scan does not establish the diagnosis of AD or any other cognitive disorder.
• Safety and effectiveness of Neuraceq^® have not been established for (i) predicting development of dementia or other neurologic conditions and (ii) monitoring responses to therapies.

Important Safety Information

Risk for Image Interpretation and Other Errors

Neuraceq^® images should be interpreted independent of a patient's clinical information. Physicians should receive training prior to interpretation of Neuraceq^® images. Following training, image reading errors (especially false positives) may still occur. Additional interpretation errors may occur due to, but not limited to, motion artifacts or extensive brain atrophy.

Radiation Risk

Administration of Neuraceq^®, like other radiopharmaceuticals, contributes to a patient´s overall long-term cumulative radiation exposure. Long-term cumulative radiation exposure is associated with an increased risk of cancer. It is important to ensure safe handling to protect patients and health care workers from unintentional radiation exposure.

Most Common Adverse Reactions

In clinical trials, the most frequently observed adverse drug reactions in 872 subjects with 1090 Neuraceq^® administrations were injection site reactions, consisting of erythema (1.7%), injection site irritation (1.1%), and pain (3.4%).

About Life Molecular Imaging (LMI)

Life Molecular Imaging (LMI, formerly Piramal Imaging) was formed in 2012 with the acquisition of the molecular imaging research and development portfolio of Bayer Pharma AG. It is now part of the Alliance Medical Group (a member of the Life Healthcare Group) offering an integrated business including research and development laboratories, a network of cyclotrons, radiopharmacies and imaging facilities. By developing novel PET tracers for molecular imaging, LMI is focusing on a key field of modern medicine. The organization strives to be a leader in the Molecular Imaging field by developing innovative products that improve early detection and characterization of chronic and life-threatening diseases, leading to better therapeutic outcomes and improved quality of life. Please visit https://life-mi.com.

About Life Healthcare Group

Life Healthcare is a global people-centered, diversified healthcare organization listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Life Healthcare has over 38 years' experience in the South African private healthcare sector, and currently operates 66 healthcare facilities in southern Africa. Services include acute hospital care, acute physical rehabilitation, acute mental healthcare, renal dialysis, and wellness, occupational health, primary health and emergency medical services. The Group owns Alliance Medical Group, the leading independent provider of medical imaging services (MRI, CT, and PET scans) within Europe, operating internationally across 10 countries. Life Molecular Imaging, a division of Alliance is an integrated pharmaceutical business that includes research and development laboratories, access to a network of cyclotrons and radio-pharmacies and imaging facilities, with Life Radiopharma being Alliance's distributor of radiopharmaceuticals to diagnose many types of diseases. Visit: https://www.lifehealthcare.co.za/

About SOFIE

SOFIE's vision is to improve patient outcomes by developing and delivering molecular diagnostics and therapeutics (theranostics). With its robust radiopharmaceutical production and distribution network, mature contract manufacturing services, and high value theragnostic intellectual property, SOFIE is poised to deliver on the promise of radiopharmaceuticals.  For more information visit SOFIE's website https://sofie.com/ or contact by email at [email protected] 

For media queries contact:
Brittany Hahn
Marketing Communications Manager, Life Molecular Imaging
[email protected]

Dawn Allen
Customer Connections Manager, SOFIE
[email protected]

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SOURCE Life Molecular Imaging