MDS Nordion to manufacture Molecular Insight's lead molecular imaging pharmaceutical
17 Juni 2004 - 11:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
MDS Nordion to manufacture Molecular Insight's lead molecular
imaging pharmaceutical New iodine-123 based cardiac imaging
pharmaceutical, BMIPP, in advanced clinical development OTTAWA,
Canada, June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MDS Nordion and Molecular
Insight Pharmaceuticals have signed a development and contract
manufacturing agreement to produce BMIPP. BMIPP is Molecular
Insight's lead molecular imaging pharmaceutical. BMIPP is currently
in a multi-center Phase IIb clinical trial in the United States,
for the detection of cardiac ischemia in the emergency department
setting. BMIPP is labelled with MDS Nordion's high- purity iodine-
123 to provide superior imaging quality. The new cardiac imaging
pharmaceutical will be manufactured at MDS Nordion's cyclotron
facility in Vancouver, Canada. "We are very pleased to be working
with MDS Nordion, the world's leading manufacturer of iodine-123
for the clinical and commercial supply of BMIPP. Their experience
and proven expertise in manufacturing the highest quality
radionuclides make them an ideal partner for Molecular Insight,"
said David S. Barlow, Chairman and CEO of Molecular Insight. "We
look forward to working together in the development and commercial
phases of BMIPP's very promising future." BMIPP's first indication
will be for imaging ischemia in the emergency department - one of
the most difficult clinical challenges in emergency medicine. This
compound's demonstrated ability to detect ischemia in chest pain
patients at rest up to 30 hours after the cardiac event occurs
should enable the widespread use of imaging in the emergency
department for more rapid diagnosis. The ability to image patients
in the emergency department and other acute settings has the
potential to significantly reduce the time to treatment thereby
limiting damage to the heart tissue and eliminating unnecessary
hospitalizations that account for more than $13 billion in the
United States alone. MDS Nordion is a world leader in the
manufacturing of I-123 production systems and the major supplier of
I-123 in North America. To meet growing demand for medical
isotopes, a new $20-million CDN cyclotron facility, with additional
manufacturing and processing capacity, was opened last year in
Vancouver, Canada. The investment reinforces MDS Nordion's ability
to ensure a secure and reliable supply of medical isotopes to
global markets. "Molecular Insight wanted a manufacturer that could
meet their requirements as BMIPP moves through clinical trials and
ultimately commercial success," says Steve West, President and COO
at MDS Nordion. "With access to multiple cyclotrons in Vancouver,
MDS Nordion has the capacity to provide a reliable supply of I-123.
Our responsive distribution system, unique order management and
logistics expertise ensures both quality and the timely delivery of
products. This is critical when manufacturing and distributing
molecular imaging pharmaceuticals with short-lived isotopes." MDS
Nordion has over 50 year of experience and offers consistent
product quality, flexible product options, responsive customer
service and strong technical and scientific expertise. MDS
Nordion's GMP-compliant (Good Manufacturing Practice) facilities
located in Ottawa and Vancouver, Canada, and Fleurus, Belgium,
accommodate a variety of development, manufacturing and supply
requirements. About MDS Nordion MDS Nordion
(http://www.mds.nordion.com/) is a world leader in radioisotopes,
radiation and related technologies. MDS Nordion is part of MDS Inc.
At MDS Inc., our 10,000 highly skilled people provide services,
products and instruments enabling health sciences organizations to
enhance the well being of people around the world. We focus on
helping discover and test new drugs, assisting doctors to diagnose
and treat patients and preventing the spread of disease. Find out
more about MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ), at
http://www.mdsintl.com/ or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a
day. About Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals Molecular Insight
Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company
focused on leveraging its proprietary technology platforms in
molecular medicine to develop innovative pharmaceuticals to
diagnose and treat disease. These products are designed to improve
the management of disease by targeting, visualizing, treating and
monitoring disease at the molecular level. The company, based in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, has established a strong pipeline of
molecular imaging candidates focused on the large and growing
markets in cardiology, oncology and neurology. Molecular Insight is
also applying its platform technologies to develop targeted
radiotherapeutics for the treatment of cancer.
http://www.molecularinsight.com/ DATASOURCE: MDS Nordion CONTACT:
Olivia Nixon, Media Relations, MDS Nordion, Tel: (613) 592-3400
ext. 2832, E-mail:
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