BERLIN and BOSTON, Sept. 6, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Piramal Imaging SA and PET Pharm Biotech Co. Ltd today announce the companies have entered into a strategic partnership and licensing agreement to provide PET Pharm Biotech with exclusive rights to manufacture, market, and distribute NeuraCeq (florbetaben F18 injection), throughout Taiwan. NeuraCeq is a radiopharmaceutical tracer for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging of patients being evaluated for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other causes of cognitive impairment.

Alzheimer's disease, a condition that slowly destroys memory and cognitive abilities, currently affects more than 190,000 people in Taiwan according to Taiwan's Consumers Foundation. Until today, an estimated 20-30% of patients with dementia have been misdiagnosed and often experienced extended diagnostic episodes before receiving a clinical diagnosis.1 Historically, a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease could only be made after death based on autopsy findings of beta-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain after death. Today, a comprehensive clinical evaluation in combination with in-vivo biomarkers, such as beta-amyloid PET imaging, improves the diagnostic accuracy while the patient is still alive, allowing for optimal patient management and better health outcomes.

"We are confident that our commitment to providing access to diagnostic beta-amyloid radiotracers in Taiwan will have a significant impact on the management of patients suspected of having Alzheimer's disease," said Chih-Hao K. Kao, Chairman of the Board of Directors at PET Pharm Biotech. "In the context of evidence-based medicine, the introduction of NeuraCeq in the marketplace will offer a new clinical evaluation method for patients, physicians and caregivers alike in the diagnosis and management of Alzheimer's disease. It could potentially help identify more efficacious interventions to help prevent, halt or slow down this terrible disease. PET Pharm Biotech is currently applying for a marketing authorization with the Taiwanese FDA."
"Piramal Imaging continues to expand its manufacturing and distribution network to bring NeuraCeq into new markets," said Ludger Dinkelborg, Member of the Board, Piramal Imaging. "The partnership with PET Pharm Biotech demonstrates our commitment to further expanding our global presence and increasing access to beta-amyloid PET scanning for imagers and referring physicians to advance the accuracy of clinical diagnosis in Alzheimer's disease."

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