Positrigo shows NeuroLF at EANM conference in Vienna
September 13, 2023
Positrigo unveils its dedicated brain PET system NeuroLF® at the annual meeting of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) in Vienna, Austria.
Positrigo, a Swiss based company developing nuclear medical imaging devices to advance functional brain imaging, today unveiled its dedicated brain positron emission tomography (PET) system at the annual meeting of the EANM. NeuroLF is an ultra-compact and patient-centric designed brain PET system which assists in diagnosing and monitoring of brain related disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Brain Tumors, Epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and others. The system is not yet commercially available.
The initial focus will be on the diagnosis of dementia in general and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in particular. AD is the most common form of dementia, accounting for ~70% of all dementias in those over 60. In 2020 there were over 55 million people worldwide living with dementia and it is predicted that individuals affected by AD will grow to 139 million in 20501. Earlier this year, very promising AD developments have been reported in the US with the positive readout of Donanemab phase 3 trial by Eli Lilly2 and the traditional approval of the disease modifying drug Lecanemab/Leqembi (Eisai/Biogen) 3,4. In addition, CMS announced that Medicare will cover AD drugs5, making them broadly available to appropriate patients. “PET imaging of the brain is essential for the accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease”, according to Michael Rafii MD, Ph.D., Professor of Neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
“With the recently approved drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease, accurate diagnosis will be critical before initiation of any disease-modifying therapy.”
Dr. Michael Rafii – Professor of Neurology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California
EANM attendees welcome the NeuroLF system
The EANM participants which experienced the NeuroLF system the first time, were full of praise and impressed by the compact design and the intuitive usability of the system. Dr. Jannis Fischer and Dr. Max Ahnen, the two co-founders of Positrigo are happy with the initial reactions of the EANM participants: “It is great to see that the EANM community welcomes our imaging solution so enthusiastically. We can’t wait to obtain market clearance and to ship devices to first customers”. The company is expecting regulatory approval in Europe and the US in the first half of 2024. Meanwhile several letters of intent have been signed by clinics which want to make sure to be among the first centers to receive the NeuroLF system.
About Positrigo:
Positrigo is a pioneer in nuclear medical imaging technologies. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, the medical device company was founded in 2018 as a spin-off of ETH Zurich. Positrigo’s technology, development, clinical testing and commercialization has been supported by various private investors, the Swiss government and the European Innovation Council. NeuroLF – the company’s first device – is an ultra-compact brain Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanner which has applications in assisting the diagnosis of causes of dementias, such as Alzheimer’s disease and other brain related disorders.
References
2 Positive readout of Donanemab phase 3 trial TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 (05/2023)
3 Accelerated Approval of Leqembi (01/2023)
4 Traditional Approval of Lecanemab (07/2023)
5 CMS Announcement that Medicare will cover new Alzheimer’s drugs (06/2023)