ImaRx builds ultrasound contrast effort

Ultrasound contrast developer ImaRx Pharmaceutical is rampingup its manufacturing capacity and personnel lineup as it preparesfor the commercial launches of several new products.

The Tucson, AZ, company last month tapped Henry "Pete"Manspeaker as vice president and director of clinical operationsof its newly formed clinical research department. Manspeaker wasmost recently director of clinical research at Alliance Pharmaceuticalof San Diego.

Manspeaker will work in conjunction with ImaRx Pharmaceutical'sU.S. licensee, Du Pont Merck Pharmaceutical, on the completionof clinical trials related to ImaRx's Aerosomes (MRX-115) microbubble-basedultrasound contrast agent technology (SCAN 12/13/95). Aerosomesis about to begin phase III clinical trials.

Other agents ImaRx is developing include gastrointestinal MRIagent LumenHance; gastrointestinal ultrasound agent SonoRx; TomoRx,a CT agent for the gastrointestinal tract; and MRX-408, a thrombus-specificultrasound contrast agent.

The company also announced that a physical plant expansion, whichwill result in the construction of a new 18,000-square-foot facility,should be finished by late 1997. Following the completion of theproject, the company anticipates that it will double its workforce to 50 employees.

In other personnel moves, ImaRx announced that Thomas Fritz hasbeen promoted from director of operations to vice president andchief operating officer.