The Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC), a global leader in the development, production and commercialization of radiopharmaceuticals, has licensed [18F]PSMA-1007 from ABX- advanced biochemical compounds GmbH (Radeberg, Germany) and will hold the exclusive license to manufacture, commercialize and distribute the imaging agent in Canada. Concurrently, CPDC is also pleased to announce that it has entered into a commercial sublicense agreement with Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson), to utilize [18F]PSMA-1007 as a critically important prostate cancer diagnostic tool for studies involving participants residing in proximity to Lawson in the London, Ontario region.
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This commercial sublicensing agreement builds upon CPDC’s-sponsored Phase III clinical trial of [18F]PSMA-1007, which began enrolling patients in early 2021 for the diagnosis of recurrent prostate cancer. This positron-emitting tomography (PET) agent targets Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA), which is overexpressed in prostate cancer. PSMA is a membrane-bound enzyme with high expression in prostate cancer cells (a predictor for prostate cancer progression) but weakly expressed benign prostatic tissue.1
Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer among Canadian men. In 2021, it was estimated that 24,000 Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, representing 20% of all new cancer cases. Prostate cancer is also estimated to have caused 4,500 deaths in Canadian men, or 10% of all cancer deaths in 2021 in Canada.2
According to the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, around 20-30% of men will relapse after the five-year mark following initial treatment.3 Prostate cancer recurrence following treatment is commonly determined by rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, which is a protein made by cells in the prostate gland.4 Reports indicate that PSMA-based PET may enable improved primary and metastatic tumour detection rates than the current standard of radiological imaging.1,5 Compared to other PMSA-targeted PET agents, [18F]PSMA-1007 also has the advantage of hepatobiliary excretion, which may improve detection of local recurrence and pelvic lymph node metastases