Nycomed and VHA sign five-year deal

Nycomed has secured a five-year agreement with VHA, the nation's largest health-care network,to provide its nonionic imaging agent Omnipaque (iohexol) underthe VHA Plus label.

It is the second such contract signed recently by Nycomed andVHA. In October 1994, the companies agreed to a three-year pactpermitting VHA Plus labeling of Omniscan (gadodiamide), a nonionicMRI imaging agent.

The private labeling deal permits VHA to market the agentsto its network of 1132 health-care organizations, which representnearly one of five U.S. hospitals. The network purchases $6 billionworth of supplies and services annually through VHA contracts,Nycomed officials said.