GE relaunches Optison in Europe
GE Healthcare’s Medical Diagnostics division has reintroduced Optison in Europe. The product is currently available in Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, the Nordic countries and the U.K., with other countries planned to follow in the near future.
Optison (Perflutren Protein-Type A Microspheres Injectable Suspension, USP), a diagnostic ultrasound contrast agent for use in select echocardiograms, is indicated for use in patients with suboptimal echocardiograms with suspected or established cardiovascular disease to provide opacification of cardiac chambers, enhance left ventricular endocardial border delineation with resulting improvement in wall motion visualization.
The European Association of Echocardiography (EAE) recommends the use of contrast whenever two or more left ventricular wall segments are not seen on non-contrast images.
European Union regulators had suspended Optison in July 2008. The agent had been shelved in the U.S. in June 2009 as well when GE indicated “manufacturing difficulties.” Optison was re-introduced in the U.S. in July 2010.
Optison (Perflutren Protein-Type A Microspheres Injectable Suspension, USP), a diagnostic ultrasound contrast agent for use in select echocardiograms, is indicated for use in patients with suboptimal echocardiograms with suspected or established cardiovascular disease to provide opacification of cardiac chambers, enhance left ventricular endocardial border delineation with resulting improvement in wall motion visualization.
The European Association of Echocardiography (EAE) recommends the use of contrast whenever two or more left ventricular wall segments are not seen on non-contrast images.
European Union regulators had suspended Optison in July 2008. The agent had been shelved in the U.S. in June 2009 as well when GE indicated “manufacturing difficulties.” Optison was re-introduced in the U.S. in July 2010.