PETNET Solutions, a division of Siemens plc, has been awarded a contract from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to supply its fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) biomarker. Supplies of FDG are used during the Trust’s PET•CT scans on its Biograph™ 64 TruePoint™ system from Siemens Healthcare.
Previously, PETNET Solutions supplied FDG to the Trust’s PET scanner on the Hammersmith Hospital site. Once the Biograph 64 had been installed at Charing Cross Hospital, the contract was renewed with PETNET Solutions to supply its biomarkers to the new system for another year.
The Biograph 64 at Charing Cross Hospital is used primarily for showing the stages of various cancers, providing information on how patients are responding to treatment as well as metastases. Detailed information of this nature enables the hospital to ensure the best course of treatment is put in place. FDG is delivered from PETNET Solutions’ Mount Vernon Hospital site at the time and in the doses required to meet the hospital’s growing imaging needs. It provides a non-invasive in vivo measurement, enabling physiological interpretation without the interruption of natural metabolic processes.
The radioactive nature of PET biomarkers means that PETNET Solutions must produce and deliver these vital radiopharmaceuticals before they decay. FDG has a half-life of 110 minutes during which time it must be manufactured, QC tested, transported and delivered ready for use in diagnostic imaging. This means that the service has to operate at maximum efficiency to produce the products and ensure they are on the road in time to get to the relevant destinations.
“We are delighted to be supplying FDG to Charing Cross following the Biograph PET•CT installation as this will strengthen an already excellent relationship between the Trust and Siemens,” said Ian Brown, UK Operations Manager at PETNET Solutions. “With the increasing use of PET imaging in the UK, reliable access to radiopharmaceuticals is becoming a vital resource for many imaging centres. With our two UK distribution centres in Nottingham and Middlesex, we are able to provide high quality, timely and reliable deliveries of biomarkers for UK PET scans.”
About Siemens Healthcare
The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world’s largest suppliers to the healthcare industry. The company is a renowned medical solutions provider with core competence and innovative strength in diagnostic and therapeutic technologies as well as in knowledge engineering, including information technology and system integration. With its laboratory diagnostics acquisitions, Siemens Healthcare is the first integrated healthcare company, bringing together imaging and lab diagnostics, therapy and healthcare information technology solutions, supplemented by consulting and support services. Siemens Healthcare delivers solutions across the entire continuum of care – from prevention and early detection, to diagnosis, therapy and care. Additionally, Siemens Healthcare is the global market leader in innovative hearing instruments. The company employs more than 49,000 people worldwide and operates in 130 countries. In the fiscal year 2008 (Sept. 30), Siemens Healthcare reported sales of €11.2 billion, orders of €11.8 billion, and Sector profit of €1.2 billion. Further information can be found by visiting http://www.siemens.co.uk/healthcare.
About Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
The Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust comprises Charing Cross, Hammersmith Hospital, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea, St Mary’s and Western Eye hospitals. It is the largest Trust in the country, and in partnership with Imperial College London, is the UK’s first Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) The AHSC was created to take the research discoveries it makes and translate them into new and improved treatments and techniques to directly benefit patients throughout the Trust.
For more information please contact:
Siemens Healthcare
T: 01276 696000
E: medmarketing.med.gb@siemens.com
W: http://www.siemens.co.uk/healthcare
