BEDFORD, Mass., July 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lantheus Holdings, Inc. ("Lantheus") (NASDAQ:LNTH), the leading radiopharmaceutical-focused company committed to enabling clinicians to Find, Fight and Follow disease to deliver better patient outcomes, today announced its acquisition of Meilleur Technologies, Inc., which includes NAV-4694, expanding Lantheus' Alzheimer's disease pipeline.
Through this acquisition, Lantheus now has the worldwide exclusive rights to ß amyloid PET (positron emission tomography) imaging agent, NAV-4694, also known as F18-flutafuranol. NAV-4694 is currently in Phase 3 development and is also being used in academic and industry investigational therapeutic trials. The acquisition of this asset broadens Lantheus' Alzheimer's diagnostic portfolio and complements Lantheus' next generation F18-labeled PET imaging agent candidate, MK-6240 (also known as florquinitau), which targets tau tangles in Alzheimer's disease.
Recently published updated guidelines developed by a working group of the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association (NIA-AA) state that Alzheimer's disease should be defined biologically, using protein-based biomarkers. These guidelines recommend that biomarkers, including both amyloid- and tau-PET imaging, may be used to diagnose Alzheimer's disease and provide an indication of its severity.1
"This acquisition solidifies our commitment to neurology, specifically for Alzheimer's disease management, and reinforces our radiopharmaceutical leadership," said Brian Markison, CEO, Lantheus. "With the combination of MK-6240 and NAV-4694, we are poised to provide important insights for guiding the use and assessing the impact of novel disease-modifying Alzheimer's treatments."
Under the terms of the agreement, Lantheus will provide an upfront payment as well as potential additional development and commercial milestone payments. Additionally, Lantheus will make royalty payments for research revenue and commercial sales. Structured as a stock purchase, the agreement specifies, among other things, that the sellers will also provide transition and clinical development services for a prescribed time following the closing of the transaction.
"We are excited by ...