From the June 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine


HCB News: What is the half-life of Axumin? Must it be administered to patients within a tight time frame? Did these factors influence your decision to choose PETNET Solutions, Inc., as the radiopharmaceutical’s exclusive U.S. commercial manufacturer and distributor to imaging centers?

Jonathan Allis: Axumin is labeled with fluorine-18 which has a half-life of 110 minutes so it’s the same isotope that is used for FDG, which is the most common PET imaging agent by far – so Axumin plugs directly into the same distribution network. With FDG, you wait an hour or so after injecting the patient, but with Axumin you inject and scan within three to five minutes, so it’s a different process.
There are a number of radiopharmacy networks in the U.S., but I think PETNET has the largest footprint, so that factored into our decision to partner with them. They also have a genuine passion for PET – you want a partner who believes in your product as much as you do, and is not just doing it as a job, but as a mission – we love working with PETNET.

HCB News: How many metropolitan locations in the U.S. currently offer Axumin, as of April 2017? Does PETNET Solutions, Inc., plan to add more sites in 2017? (A February press release indicated that two sites offered Axumin in June 2016 when it was approved by the FDA. That same press release from February indicated that 12 sites were now offering the radiopharmaceutical – with more sites slated to be added in 2017.)

Barry Scott: As of right now, Axumin is available from 16 production sites, and PETNET Solutions plans to add several more sites in the next year. With the success we’ve had with product adoption, we’re going to step up expansion, but even as of today, we can provide Axumin to a majority of U.S. imaging centers.

HCB News: Do you plan any other indications for Axumin?
Jonathan Allis: As you know, we’re indicated for biochemically recurrent prostate cancer, but we’re interested in how it might apply in a range of prostate cancer indications as well as other cancers.

We have work going in a number of interesting areas. The data we have in brain tumors, particularly gliomas, looks pretty good and we’re starting to pull all that together to file for that indication. We currently have an orphan drug designation from the FDA as well as the European Community for glioma.

Also, some types of breast cancer are not imaged well with existing radiopharmaceuticals, and we think Axumin may be interesting in those areas, so we will continue to investigate them.
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