Neoprobe Licenses AstraZeneca Imaging Agent for Amyloid Detection to Aid Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

Neoprobe Corporation

today announced that it has in-licensed the worldwide exclusive rights from AstraZeneca to the late-stage radiopharmaceutical imaging candidate, AZD4694, for aiding the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (

). AZD4694 is a Fluorine-18 labeled precision radiopharmaceutical candidate for use in the imaging and evaluation of patients with signs or symptoms of cognitive impairment such as AD. It binds to Beta-amyloid deposits in the brain that can then be imaged in positron emission tomography (

) scans. Amyloid plaque pathology is a required feature of AD diagnosis and the presence of amyloid pathology is a supportive feature for diagnosis of probable AD. Patients who are negative for amyloid pathology do not have AD. Clinical studies in more than 70 patients suggest that AZD4694 has the ability to image patients quickly and safely with high sensitivity. Importantly, AZD4694 exhibits low background and white matter uptake, thereby providing clear images of Beta-amyloid deposits. Neoprobe intends to initiate a Phase III clinical program in early 2013, while simultaneously building the requisite safety and training database. Patents and patent applications filed around the world related to AZD4694 are effective until 2028.