Lantheus and GE HealthCare Announce Exclusive Licensing Agreement for Prostate Cancer Imaging Agent PYLARIFY® (Piflufolastat F 18) in Japan

On September 24, 2025 Lantheus Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: LNTH) and GE HealthCare (NASDAQ: GEHC) reported an exclusive licensing agreement for GE HealthCare to develop, manufacture, and commercialize Lantheus’ piflufolastat F18 (PYLARIFY in U.S. market) in Japan for prostate cancer diagnostics and companion diagnostic use. PYLARIFY is used for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in men with prostate cancer.

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The agreement includes the transfer of regulatory dossiers, manufacturing competencies and technical support to enable GE HealthCare to drive clinical development in Japan, towards potential regulatory submissions and commercial launch. GE HealthCare will draw on its extensive manufacturing network and R&D expertise following its acquisition in March 2025 of Nihon Medi-Physics Co., Ltd. (NMP), a leading radiopharmaceutical company in Japan.

Prostate cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide, with Japan recording the third highest number of cases in the world in 2022, after the U.S. and China.1

"This partnership is expected to meaningfully extend the reach of our diagnostic imaging agent in key international markets," said Brian Markison, CEO of Lantheus. "GE HealthCare and NMP’s deep regional expertise will enable us to advance the detection and care of prostate cancer and drive significant impact in an important market."

"Bringing targeted PET imaging agents to new geographies supports Lantheus’ Purpose to Find, Fight and Follow disease to deliver better patient outcomes," added Jean-Claude Provost, Chief Science Officer at Lantheus. "By aligning with GE HealthCare, we’re addressing a critical clinical need in Japan, and helping to lay the foundation for a more personalized approach to prostate cancer detection, diagnosis and monitoring."

"This collaboration represents a strategic advancement for GE HealthCare as we expand our pipeline of radiopharmaceuticals and continue to deliver on our commitment to improving patient access to innovative diagnostics," said Kevin O’Neill, President & CEO of the Pharmaceutical Diagnostics (PDx) segment of GE HealthCare and President of NMP. "Working alongside Lantheus gives us access to one of the best-in-class PET imaging agents that is already approved in the U.S. and in Europe, and if approved locally, could provide clinicians and their patients with a powerful new option for detecting and monitoring prostate cancer."

Under the terms of the agreement, GE HealthCare will pay Lantheus an upfront license fee, development milestones and tiered royalties based on product sales in Japan. The companies will also establish a Joint Steering Committee to oversee development and commercialization activities.

Piflufolastat F 18 (also known as 18F-DCFPyL, PYLARIFY or PYLCLARI) was FDA-approved in 2021 and is marketed as PYLARIFY. PYLARIFY has made a profound impact on the lives of patients battling prostate cancer and is the number one utilized PSMA PET imaging agent in the U.S. It is a proven diagnostic backed by real-world experience, including in over 500,000 scans across 48 states. In 2023, it was approved in the European Union and is marketed there as PYLCLARI. The European rights were licensed to Curium from Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a Lantheus company.

About PYLARIFY (piflufolastat F 18) Injection
PYLARIFY (piflufolastat F 18) injection (also known as 18F-DCFPyL or PYLCLARI) is a fluorinated small molecule PSMA-targeted PET imaging agent that enables visualization of lymph nodes, bone and soft tissue metastases to determine the presence or absence of recurrent and/or metastatic prostate cancer. For men with prostate cancer, PYLARIFY PET combines the accuracy of PET imaging, the precision of PSMA targeting and the clarity of an F 18 radioisotope for superior diagnostic performance. The recommended PYLARIFY dose is 333 MBq (9 mCi) with an acceptable range of 296 MBq to 370 MBq (8 mCi to 10 mCi), administered as a bolus intravenous injection.

PYLARIFY (piflufolastat F 18) Injection in the U.S.

Indication

PYLARIFY (piflufolastat F 18) Injection is a radioactive diagnostic agent indicated for positron emission tomography (PET) of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) positive lesions in men with prostate cancer:

with suspected metastasis who are candidates for initial definitive therapy.
with suspected recurrence based on elevated serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level.

Important Safety Information

Contraindications
None.

Warnings and Precautions

Risk of Image Misinterpretation
Imaging interpretation errors can occur with PYLARIFY imaging. A negative image does not rule out the presence of prostate cancer and a positive image does not confirm the presence of prostate cancer. The performance of PYLARIFY for imaging of patients with biochemical evidence of recurrence of prostate cancer seems to be affected by serum PSA levels. The performance of PYLARIFY for imaging of metastatic pelvic lymph nodes prior to initial definitive therapy seems to be affected by risk factors such as Gleason score and tumor stage. PYLARIFY uptake is not specific for prostate cancer and may occur with other types of cancer as well as non-malignant processes and in normal tissues. Clinical correlation, which may include histopathological evaluation of the suspected prostate cancer site, is recommended.

Hypersensitivity Reactions
Monitor patients for hypersensitivity reactions, particularly patients with a history of allergy to other drugs and foods. Reactions may be delayed. Always have trained staff and resuscitation equipment available.

Radiation Risks
Diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals, including PYLARIFY, expose patients to radiation. Radiation exposure is associated with a dose-dependent increased risk of cancer. Ensure safe handling and preparation procedures to protect patients and health care workers from unintentional radiation exposure. Advise patients to hydrate before and after administration and to void frequently after administration.

Adverse Reactions
The most frequently reported adverse reactions were headaches, dysgeusia and fatigue, occurring at rate of ≤2% during clinical studies with PYLARIFY. In addition, a delayed hypersensitivity reaction was reported in one patient (0.2%) with a history of allergic reactions.

Drug interactions
Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and other therapies targeting the androgen pathway, such as androgen receptor antagonists, may result in changes in uptake of PYLARIFY in prostate cancer. The effect of these therapies on performance of PYLARIFY PET has not been established.

To report suspected adverse reactions for PYLARIFY, call 1-800-362-2668 or contact FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. Please read the accompanying full Prescribing Information also available at PYLARIFY.com.

(Press release, Lantheus, SEP 24, 2025, View Source [SID1234662958])