Epix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved its novel blood pool-imaging agent Vasovist for marketing in Australia.

Vasovist is indicated for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography for visualization of abdominal or limb vessels in patients with suspected or known vascular disease.

"We are very pleased with this approval. Australia marks the 27th country in which Vasovist has been approved for marketing," stated Andrew Uprichard, MD, president of Epix Pharmaceuticals. "This approval creates more positive momentum for our lead imaging product. At the same time, we have a number of key milestones ahead for our other product candidates before the end of the year, including the results from the phase 3 trial for our novel 5-HT1A agonist PRX-00023 in generalized anxiety disorder, results from the phase 2a trial for our novel thrombus imaging agent, EP-2104R, and the initiation of a phase 2a clinical trial of PRX-03140 in combination with Aricept in patients with Alzheimer's disease."

Vasovist is an injectable intravascular contrast agent designed to provide visual imaging of the vascular system through magnetic resonance angiography. Epix's initial target indication for Vasovist is for use in magnetic resonance angiography imaging of non-coronary vascular disease.