Rapidscan Pharma Solutions (RPS) EU Ltd has announced that they have come to agreement with Mallinckrodt Medical BV (Mallinckrodt) for the exclusive right to promote and distribute Rapiscan® (regadenoson) in France, Italy, Belgium and Spain.
Rapiscan is a selective coronary vasodilator for use as a pharmacological stress agent for radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in adult patients unable to undergo adequate exercise stress in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) – the single most common cause of death and disability in Europe.(1)
Founder, President and CEO of Rapidscan Pharma Solutions Dr Brent Blackburn commented, “We are excited to partner with Mallinckrodt in the commercialisation of Rapiscan, thus doubling its market access in Europe. Mallinckrodt and RPS EU share a similar mission to bring innovative solutions to improve patient care. Mallinckrodt is an established leader in the field of nuclear medicine and cardiac imaging and is well positioned to introduce Rapiscan and its benefits to the medical community.”
Every year more than four million Europeans die from diseases of the heart and blood vessels,1 accounting for almost half of total mortality in Europe.(1) Accurate diagnosis is vital in identifying patients who are appropriate for intensive medical intervention with more than 1.5 million Europeans undergoing MPI tests annually.
Rapiscan is administered as a non-weight based bolus injection and is the first and only selective A2A adenosine receptor agonist to have a licence for use in this indication.(2)
RPS EU Ltd received marketing authorisation in January 2011 and launched Rapiscan in the UK and Germany later that year. Regadenoson was first launched in the US in 2008 following clinical trials of over 2,000 patients with known or suspected CAD.(1,3,4) Today, regadenoson is the most widely used pharmacological stress agent in the US with millions of patients having received it.
References:
- Scholte op Reimer WJM, Gitt AK, Boersma E, Simoons ML (eds.). Cardiovascular Diseases in Europe. Euro Heart Survey – 2006. Sophia Antipolis; European Society of Cardiology; 2006
- Rapiscan Summary of Product Characteristics. Rapidscan Pharma Solutions EU Ltd. See http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index.jsp?curl=pages/medicines/human/medicines/001176/human_med_001378.jsp&murl=menus/medicines/medicines.jsp&mid=WC0b01ac058001d125
- Cerqueira MD, Nguyen P, Staehr P, et al, on behalf of the ADVANCE MPI Trial Investigators. Effects of age, gender, obesity and diabetes on the efficacy and safety of the selective A2A agonist Rapiscan versus adenosine: integrated ADVANCE MPI trial results. J Am Coll Cardiol 2008;1:307‐316.
- Iskandrian AE, Bateman TM, Belardinelli L, et al. Adenosine versus Rapiscan comparative evaluation in myocardial perfusion imaging: results of the ADVANCE phase 3 multicenter international trial. J Nucl Cardiol 2007;14:645‐658.
