Canada (Commonwealth Union)_ Telix Pharmaceuticals Limited recently announced that Health Canada has authorized Illuccix® [kit for the development of gallium (68Ga) gozetotide injection] to be used in staging and restaging intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer and localizing tumor tissue in recurrent prostate cancer.
After radiolabeling with gallium (68Ga), IlluccixTM [kit for the manufacture of gallium (68Ga) gozetotide injection] is approved for use with positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive lesions in males having prostate cancer with suspected metastatic disease who qualify for initial decisive treatment, and with high serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels and suspected recurrence.
‘PSMA PET’ or the imaging of Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) using positron emission tomography (PET) scan has been shown to diagnose advanced prostate cancer. In Canada, Illuccix is the first PSMA PET imaging agent to get regulatory clearance. Health Canada is the third regulatory agency in the world to authorize Illuccix, which is already commercialized in the United States and Australia.
According to the president of the Quebec Association of Nuclear Medicine Specialists and former president of the Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine, Dr. Norman Laurin, every day, an average of 67 men in Canada are detected with prostate cancer. Early diagnosis and a deeper knowledge of the disease’s progression and stage can result in better disease management decisions. As the industry seeks improved methods to identify prostate cancer in males, equipment such as Illuccix are critical in reaching this goal.
Kevin Richardson, CEO Telix Americas, expressed delight over the new equipment. “PSMA PET imaging has been one of the most important developments in prostate cancer detection in recent years and we are very pleased that we can now bring this important diagnostic imaging agent to physicians and their patients across Canada,” he said.
Illuccix will be accessible in Canada through Telix’s partner, Isologic Innovative Radiopharmaceuticals (ISOLOGIC), whose supply network supports 265 hospitals and clinics nationally.
