Radioisotope Company to Become Contrast Agent Supplier to Clinic Chain

Eckert & Ziegler Strahlen- und Medizintechnik, AG (Berlin, Germany), a specialist in the production of radioactive contrast agents for cancer detection, has concluded a long-term contract with Euromedic International, BV (Budapest, Hungary) to supply Polish diagnostics centers. The framework agreement for FDG (fluorodeoxyglucose [18F]) contrast agent also foresees the creation of a pharmaceutical production facility in Warsaw (Poland) in addition to the FDG supply.

Eckert & Ziegler radiopharmacy director, Dr. André Heß, and Axel Schmidt, managing director of the group subsidiary Eckert & Ziegler f-con Deutschland, GmbH, which manages the project, reported in a joint statement, "Euromedic is a strategic partner with whom we have already been successfully cooperating for many years. We support the further expansion of the Polish cancer treatment centers with the creation of a new radiodiagnostics production plant near Warsaw and are looking forward to closer cooperation with Euromedic. It enables us to further expand our industry leadership in Germany to Eastern Europe."

FDG will be used within the framework of positron emission tomography (PET) for the early detection of even the smallest tumor foci. Because of its short half-life, FDG has to be produced daily on locally cited cyclotrons and delivered to the clinics as soon as possible. Eckert & Ziegler currently supplies a range of Polish PET-computed tomography (CT) centers from its production facility in Berlin.

Eckert & Ziegler has several radiopharmaceutical production locations in Germany, and in addition to F-18-based radiodiagnostics for nuclear medical imaging (PET), the company also markets the licensed product Yttriga, a precursor agent used in radiolabeling for the production of numerous radiotherapeutics. Eckert & Ziegler also supplies nuclear medical facilities with synthesis technology and gallium-68 (for PET imaging) radionuclide generators worldwide.

Eckert & Ziegler is an isotope technology company that operates worldwide and is the holding company for a host of specialized subsidiaries engaged in the processing of radioisotopes as well as the development, production, and the sales of isotope technical components, medical technical devices and related products. The group of companies is among the largest providers of radioactive components for radiation therapy and nuclear medicine.

Euromedic is one of the largest providers of medical services in Europe. The company specializes in diagnostic examinations, dialysis, and teleradiology and has more than 6,000 employees in 207 medical centers. The company provides life-saving medical services within the existing, publicly managed healthcare system. The company it operates 19 dialysis centers as well as 18 diagnostics centers, among these are three PET-CT locations in Wroclaw, Warsaw, and Poznan.

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Eckert & Ziegler
Euromedic International