GE HealthCare Launches PET MPI Agent Flyrcado at ACC Conference

GE HealthCare launched Flyrcado™ (flurpiridaz F 18) at the recent American College of Cardiology (ACC) conference. A positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (PET MPI) agent for coronary artery disease (CAD) detection, Flyrcado offers ready to use unit dosing and a half-life that is reportedly 10 times higher than that of other cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) agents.

In research presented at the 2023 Society for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) conference, Flyrcado demonstrated higher sensitivity and specificity rates than single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging for the detection of CAD in patients with high body mass index (BMI).

Approved by the FDA in 2024, Flyrcado may facilitate enhanced assessment of ischemia through a combination of exercise stress testing and cardiac PET imaging, according to GE HealthCare, the manufacturer of Flyrcado.

“The launch of Flyrcado represents a significant advancement in cardiac care, providing a new, highly effective diagnostic tool for those with known or suspected coronary artery disease,” said Eric Ruedinger, the vice president and general manager of GE HealthCare’s Pharmaceutical Diagnostics segment for the U.S. and Canada.

The company added that Flyrcado recently garnered pass-through payment status from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). GE HealthCare said the pass-through payment status, which goes into effect on April 1, 2025, allows separate reimbursement for the radiopharmaceutical and the PET imaging.