Companies Collaborate on Nuclear Medicine Therapy for Neuroendocrine Tumors

Covidien, Ltd. (St. Louis, MO, USA) and BioSynthema, Inc. (St. Louis, MO, USA) have signed an agreement to develop and commercialize a nuclear medicine therapy for neuroendocrine cancer patients.

Under the terms of an exclusive license agreement, BioSynthema will gain access to specific Covidien proprietary peptide technology. The license will enable BioSynthema to use this technology in conjunction with its own technology and proprietary clinical research to further develop a new targeted-radionuclide therapy product. Under the terms of a separate agreement, Covidien will have exclusive marketing rights to the resulting cancer therapy technology.

"We are very pleased to be working with BioSynthema on this important technology,” said Steve Hanley, president of Covidien Imaging Solutions. "This project reflects Covidien's commitment to the future of nuclear medicine and to the development of new and unique radiolabeled products.”

The new technology utilizes a radiolabeled peptide that targets specific somatostatin receptors on neuroendocrine cancer cells. If approved, this drug candidate will add to Covidien's range of nuclear medicine oncology agents, including OctreoScan (kit for the preparation of indium In-111 pentetreotide), a molecular imaging agent that is indicated for the scintigraphic detection and localization of primary and metastatic neuroendocrine tumors bearing somatostatin receptors. The safety and effectiveness of OctreoScan imaging agent in pediatric patients have not been established, and use in patients with impaired renal function should be carefully considered.

Covidien Imaging Solutions is a provider of imaging products used by physicians to detect and diagnose various diseases. BioSynthema is a drug discovery and development company focusing on unique pharmaceuticals that target cell surface receptors overexpressed in cancer cells.

Using this technology, BioSynthema has collaborated with Eric Krenning, M.D., Ph.D., FRCP, and professor of nuclear medicine at the Erasmus Medical Centre (Rotterdam, The Netherlands), for more than five years on a clinical therapy study, which has enrolled over 600 patients. "I am very encouraged that Covidien and BioSynthema have agreed to cooperate in the development and commercialization of this product,” said Prof. Krenning.

"The incidence of neuroendocrine tumors is approximately 20,000 new cases per year in the U.S. and Europe,” said Jack Erion, Ph.D., president and CEO of BioSynthema. "If approved, this technology would provide a new therapeutic drug for those patients who currently have very limited treatment options.”

Under the terms of the agreements, BioSynthema will develop and manufacture the product and Covidien will be responsible for worldwide marketing, sales, and distribution. The companies plan to pursue marketing authorization in Europe and the United States initially.


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