Lantheus rebrands MR agent Vasovist
Vasovist has been rebranded as Ablavar by its new owner, Lantheus Medical. The pharmaceutical company last April purchased from Epix Pharmaceuticals rights to the MR blood pool contrast agent for the U.S., Canadian, and Australian markets. In the next few months, Lantheus will kick off a U.S. marketing campaign promoting Ablavar as a less invasive means than x-ray angiography to detect aortoiliac occlusive disease. A single dose of the agent allows both first pass and high-resolution blood pool imaging with MR, visualizing both arterial and venous blood vessels. Technically known as gadofosveset trisodium, the FDA-approved product is approved in nearly 40 countries. It has been used in more than 60,000 patients in Europe.
