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MDS Nordion Begins to Manufacture Cardiac Imaging Agent

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 June 2009, 07:00 CDT

OTTAWA, June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - MDS Nordion, a leading provider of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals, today announced that it has commenced the manufacture of CardioGen-82(R) (Rubidium-82 generators), for Bracco Diagnostics, Inc. (part of Bracco Group), one of the world's leading companies in the imaging agent business.

MDS Nordion has designed and built a dedicated manufacturing suite within its world-class, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)-compliant production facility in Ottawa. Production of CardioGen-82 began yesterday.

CardioGen-82, the only generator-based, cardiac Positron Emission Tomography (PET) perfusion imaging agent approved by the FDA, produces Rubidium-82, using a specialized generator technology. Once administered to the patient, Rubidium-82 is used as a PET imaging tracer for perfusion studies of the heart to examine blood flow through heart vessels. PET is a highly sensitive medical imaging technique that produces a three-dimensional image of the functioning heart, allowing the cardiologist to identify regions of the heart muscle receiving poor blood flow.

"There is growing interest in advanced molecular imaging technologies to help better diagnose and treat disease," said Steve West, President of MDS Nordion. "MDS Nordion provides a full spectrum of services for the development and commercialization of novel radiopharmaceuticals. For more than 10 years, companies like Bracco have been relying on our proven track record for innovative solutions, quality, and reliability that make MDS Nordion the partner of choice."

A 2007 Frost & Sullivan report entitled U.S. PET and PET-CT (Computerized Tomography) Imaging Equipment Markets indicated that use of PET imaging as a diagnostic tool is on the rise. For the period 2007-2014, the report projects a total compounded annual growth rate of 17.3% for PET and PET-CT.

"This is an important milestone in the development of Bracco's innovative cardiac imaging technology and the new MDS facility provides Bracco with a world-class manufacturing capability with significant capacity for future expansion to meet anticipated market growth," said Carlo Medici, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bracco Diagnostics, Inc. "MDS Nordion's unique expertise in the development and manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals, along with its highly specialized facilities, made them an obvious choice when Bracco looked to expand its CardioGen-82 production capacity."

MDS Nordion offers tailored solutions, leading expertise and service capabilities for radiopharmaceutical development, clinical and commercial manufacturing, and radiation-based medical device development. MDS Nordion has GMP-compliant facilities in Ottawa and Vancouver, Canada, and Fleurus, Belgium that can accommodate a variety of development, manufacturing, and supply requirements.

About Bracco Imaging S.p.A.

Bracco Imaging S.p.A. is one of the world's leading companies in the diagnostic imaging business. Bracco Imaging develops, manufactures, and markets diagnostic imaging agents and solutions that meet medical needs and facilitate clinical solutions. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Bracco Imaging operates in over 80 markets worldwide, either directly or indirectly, through subsidiaries, joint ventures, licenses, and distribution partnership agreements.

Bracco Imaging is a subsidiary of Bracco S.p.A., the holding company of the Bracco Group which also markets ethical and over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceutical products in Italy as well as advanced medical technology systems worldwide. Furthermore, the Bracco Group offers diagnosis services through the Milan-based Centro Diagnostico Italiano (Italian Diagnostic Center). For more information, visit www.braccoimaging.com.

About MDS Nordion

MDS Nordion, a business unit of MDS Inc., is a global leader in providing medical isotopes for molecular and diagnostic imaging, radiotherapeutics, and sterilization technologies for medical products that benefit the lives of millions of people in more than 50 countries around the world. MDS Nordion products and services are used on a daily basis by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, medical-device manufacturers, hospitals, clinics, and research laboratories. Find out more at www.mdsnordion.com

About MDS

MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ) is a global life sciences company that provides market-leading products and services that our customers need for the development of drugs, and the diagnosis and treatment of disease. We are a leading global provider of pharmaceutical contract research, medical isotopes for molecular imaging, radiotherapeutics, and analytical instruments. MDS has more than 5,000 highly skilled people in 29 countries. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or by calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.

SOURCE MDS Nordion

Source: PR Newswire

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