GE HealthCare announces first patient doses of Flyrcado for CAD detection

GE HealthCare (GEHC) has delivered the first patient doses of Flyrcado or flurpiridaz F 18 njection, a first-of-its-kind unit dose positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging PET MPI agent for the detection of coronary artery disease CAD , at early adopter imaging centers in the US. This milestone follows the recent FDA approval of Flyrcado, which is indicated for patients with known or suspected CAD, and delivers higher diagnostic efficacy compared to single-photon emission computed tomography SPECT MPI, the predominant procedure used in nuclear cardiology today. Dr. Mouaz Al-Mallah, MD, MSc, MASNC, Director of Cardiac PET at Houston Methodist Hospital, said, “Flyrcado opens new frontiers for cardiac PET with a significantly longer half-life than existing PET MPI tracers, and we are proud to be one of the first to use it in our cardiac PET lab. The longer half-life eliminates the need for onsite tracer manufacturing so it can be ordered as a ready-to-use unit dose. Additionally, it offers clinicians the flexibility to perform exercise stress testing-something not feasible with any previously available cardiac PET tracer. We anticipate Flyrcado will make PET MPI more accessible to clinicians and patients and allow more centers to provide this important imaging modality to appropriate patients.” This month, Houston Methodist Hospital delivered the first doses in a phased rollout of the cardiac PET agent at early adopter imaging centers nationwide, which includes UW Health University Hospital in Wisconsin. Full commercialization of the radiotracer is anticipated in the second quarter of 2025. With a half-life of 109 minutes-significantly longer than existing PET MPI tracers-Flyrcado removes the need for on-site tracer production and generator maintenance and enables distribution to a wide network of hospitals and imaging centers. GE HealthCare will be supported by contract manufacturing organizations CMOs to expand coverage across the US to enable regional access to Flyrcado and expects to be able to reach nearly all of the existing cardiac PET user base by the end of 2025.