Piramal Imaging SA, a subsidiary of Piramal Healthcare will be presenting data on several compounds from its molecular imaging portfolio at the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s (SNM) 59th annual meeting that started in Miami Beach from June 9, the event will last till June 13. Data from five florbetaben studies will be featured, including results from a pivotal phase III trial which will provide the basis for regulatory submission later this year.

Earlier this spring, Piramal Imaging was formed through the acquisition of worldwide rights to the molecular imaging research and development portfolio of Bayer Pharma AG. Florbetaben, a late-stage amyloid imaging agent being studied as a potential tool to aid in the diagnosis and assessment of Alzheimer’s disease, is the lead compound in the portfolio.

Historically, the only way to definitively diagnose Alzheimer’s disease has been after death – at autopsy – through analysis and identification of beta-amyloid in brain tissue. The global phase III trial employed a unique and rigorous study design comparing in vivo brain positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with florbetaben to post-mortem analysis of the brain tissue. Another study compared florbetaben scans of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) over time to assess their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

According to Dr Ludger M Dinkelborg, CEO, Piramal Imaging, “What better way to introduce Piramal Imaging to the nuclear medicine community than this. We believe we have the richest molecular imaging portfolio in the industry today, and the range of research we are presenting here reflects the depth, diversity and clinical relevance of our pipeline.”

Piramal Imaging is developing an innovative and proprietary tracer portfolio to address major clinical needs in Alzheimer’s disease, prostate cancer, lung cancer, liver cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

“Our goal is to be a leader in molecular imaging through increased diagnostic accuracy of serious medical conditions to improve patient care. On a parallel track with our aggressive clinical development programme, we are taking the necessary steps toward bringing our tracers to market through the formation of strategic partnerships,” informed Dr Swati A Piramal, director, Piramal Healthcare.

At this meeting, research on several of the company’s pipeline compounds will be featured, including, florbetaben, multicentre phase III trial on florbetaben for ß-amyloid brain PET in Alzheimer disease, longitudinal assessment of cerebral amyloid-ß deposition in APP-Swe mice with [18F]florbetaben PET,  partial volume effect correction of florbetaben ß-amyloid (Aß) PET data improves discrimination between Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and healthy volunteers (Hvs),  a two-year longitudinal assessment of Aß deposition in MCI with 18F-florbetaben etc. to name a few.