Lantheus
Medical Imaging, Inc., a worldwide leader in diagnostic imaging,
today announced preliminary data on flurpiridaz F 18 (formerly known as
BMS747158), its novel compound in development as a Positron Emission
Tomography (PET) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) agent. The study of
nine patients compared rest-stress flurpiridaz F 18 PET MPI, with
rest-stress technetium-99m (Tc-99m) labeled single photon emission
computed tomography (SPECT) for the detection and evaluation of coronary
artery disease (CAD). Preliminary results from the single-center study
suggest that compared to SPECT MPI, flurpiridaz F 18 PET MPI has a
higher diagnostic specificity for detecting right coronary artery
disease and a higher accuracy for evaluating the extent of
stress-induced myocardial perfusion abnormalities with coronary
angiography as the gold standard. The data were featured today in an
oral presentation (# 0917-03) by Jamshid Maddahi, M.D. F.A.C.C.,
Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology (Nuclear Medicine) and
Medicine (Cardiology) at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA,
and the Lead Principal Investigator of the study, at the American
College of Cardiology 59th Annual Scientific Session in
Atlanta.
“Lantheus is fully committed to the ongoing evaluation of flurpiridaz F
18 PET imaging to further understand the diagnostic impact it may have
in detecting coronary artery disease, the nation’s leading cause of
death”
“These initial results, in a very small patient population, are
encouraging, as they already show significant improvements in diagnostic
accuracy using PET imaging with flurpiridaz F 18 as compared to SPECT
imaging with Tc-99m for the detection and evaluation of coronary artery
disease,” said Dr. Maddahi. “A product that could demonstrate increased
diagnostic specificity would provide physicians with a useful tool to
reduce the number of false positive results often associated with SPECT
imaging, and, therefore reduce the number of unnecessary cardiac
catheterizations.”
Nine patients from a single study center underwent same day rest-stress
Tc-99m labeled SPECT MPI and separate day rest-stress flurpiridaz F 18
PET MPI and coronary angiography. For each patient, 17 myocardial
segments were visually scored for each rest and stress image by
independent observers who were blinded to the other results. Summed
stress scores, summed rest scores and summed difference scores were
determined for each patient from the segmental scores. The percentage of
narrowing in each coronary artery was evaluated blindly, and greater
than 70 percent luminal diameter narrowing was considered significant.