Life Molecular Imaging (LMI) has expanded its strategic partnership and licensing agreement with SOFIE Biosciences, a US manufacturer and developer of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radiopharmaceuticals, to enhance patient access to the Neuraceq Alzheimer's diagnostic tool.

The collaboration aims to distribute Neuraceq, a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved imaging agent for beta-amyloid PET scans, from SOFIE's manufacturing site in Cleveland, Ohio.

The first doses became available on 4 April 2024.

LMI managing director Ludger Dinkelborg said: “By adding Cleveland to our distribution network, Life Molecular Imaging is thrilled to provide additional availability of Neuraceq, an important imaging tool for the detection of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain.

“Our continued collaboration with SOFIE provides greater availability of our approved beta-amyloid tracer Neuraceq. We believe this additional access to Neuraceq benefits physicians and patients, as well as our pharma partners for routine clinical and research use.”

Neuraceq is instrumental in detecting beta-amyloid plaques in the brains of adults experiencing cognitive impairment, aiding in the evaluation of Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive illnesses.

The agent is not only used in clinical routine but also serves as a vital imaging biomarker for characterising patients for treatment eligibility with new anti-amyloid drugs or inclusion in clinical trials supporting neurodegenerative disease drug development.

A negative Neuraceq scan suggests sparse to no neuritic plaques, reducing the likelihood of Alzheimer's being the cause of cognitive impairment.

Conversely, a positive scan indicates a plaque density that is often associated with Alzheimer's, although it may also be present in other neurological conditions and cognitively normal older adults.

SOFIE COO Brian Schumer said: “We are excited to bring Neuraceq availability to another SOFIE network site. The continued growth and advancement in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and treatment are very promising for patients and their families.

“SOFIE is committed to the further expansion and availability of LMI's Neuraceq PET diagnostic tracer throughout our national PET manufacturing and dispensing network.”

Earlier this year, LMI and SOFIE expanded their strategic partnership to provide and distribute Neuraceq out of SOFIE's radiopharmaceutical manufacturing site located in Houston, Texas.