IASON is a leading specialist supplier for nuclear medicine application and in the production of PET tracers.
The core competencies of IASON include concepts for the distribution of pharmaceuticals with a very short shelf-life and for the increase in efficiency of the process sequences. Furthermore, we implement safety tools in the case of radioactivity and to guarantee modern hygienic standards for the handling of pharmaceuticals.
Further areas of competence of IASON include the oncology (early detection and treatment of cancer etc.), the neurology (diagnosis and surgical planning) and the cardiology (detection and treatment of heart diseases). Each area has an investment volume of 4 to 10 billion USD.
In addition, IASON supplies highly sensitive immunoassays to medical institutions, which are used in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases.
Areas
Technology
Research
Consulting
Permanent further Development
Mag. Christoph Artner founded the company IASON GmbH, which has its headquarters in Graz, in 1994. From the beginning, nuclear medicine was the target group. The company’s purpose was the trade in medical devices. By specialising in the areas of thyroid gland and bone metabolism, the company gradually built up a large product range. Immunoassays which measure all hormones, tumour markers, infection serology and autoimmunology were added to the product range.
Today, IASON develops and manufactures lab kits and specialised products for the target groups nuclear medicine and laboratory medicine and supplies them to customers worldwide, thus making this area an important core competency of the company.
To further extend its position, the company heavily invests in the area of R&D. In the R&D Department of ARGOS, new PET tracers are constantly developed into a marketable commodity. As regards the content, in the coming years the areas of activity of the R&D departments will be the development of new automation technologies in the area of radiopharmaceutical production as well as the development of new agent for the oncological diagnosis, the therapy control as well as the preclinical evaluation of new pharmaceuticals in cooperation with international pharmaceutical companies by means of molecular imaging procedures.
With regard to research and development costs, IASON has so far spent overall 6 million Euro for the products developed. As a result, IASON currently has full market approval for the following pharmaceutical products: Efdege®, IASOdopa®, IASOflu® and IASOcholine®.
It can be assumed that the research quota is 4 % of the operating performance. Licences were granted to the company Synektik Sp.z.o.o. (Poland). The annual revenues from licence agreements range around 350,000.00 Euro with an annual increase of 30-40 %.
The objective set by IASON in the area of research and development is the development and approval of a new tumour marker within a period of 18 – 24 months. In the R&D Department of the company ARGOS, four employees are currently employed and it can be assumed that this department will grow by one qualified employee per year.
IASON PET/CT and Turnkey Cyclotron Competence Center
Drawing on years of experience in this highly complex field, IASON disposes of profound competency and expert knowledge in the operation of cyclotron based production plants for the manufacture of radiopharmaceuticals. IASON would also like to pass on this knowledge:
IASON experts carry out professional reporting on site regarding the technical standard of the manufacturing facility, assist with the commissioning of the plant and inform about statutory requirements, GMP conformity etc. The range of products is supplemented by complete turn-key offers and operations.
Competences
Pharmaceuticals
Medical
Outlook
Leading products for Europe
With the full market approval of Efdege® ([18F] Fluorodeoxyglucose) in 15 EU countries in 2004, IASON achieved its first and biggest milestone as a pharmaceutical company.
Based on strong research focus, two further pharmaceuticals could be approved (IASOdopa® 2006 in four countries, IASOflu® 2009 in France, 2010 in 12 further countries) by 2009. With full market approval of IASOcholine® ([18F] Fluorocholine) in France in 2010, IASON succeeded in completing the next step. IASOcholine® is the first PET pharmaceutical worldwide, which obtained full market approval on the basis of an internal clinical study. IASOcholine® will initially be approved in four other EU countries and IASON will also aim at an approval procedure with the FDA (American Food and Drug Administration). Thus, IASON has taken the leading role worldwide as opinion leader with regard to the new approval of radiopharmaceuticals both on the market and towards the approval authorities.
With IASOdopa® ([18F] Fluordopa, in France, Germany, Austria and Italy) and IASOflu® (sodium [18F] fluoride), IASON is the first pharmaceutical company worldwide which has more than one approved product for PET. With these full market approvals, IASON has build up a leading competence in the area of regulatory affairs and is now considered to lead the way.
Expanding Innovator
In 1997, IASON was the first Austrian company to start distribution of positron emission tomography (PET) tracers. The company ARGOS Zyklotron BetriebsGmbH was founded in the same year. Subsequently, internal cyclotron production plants were successfully built in Klagenfurt and Linz for the production of PET radiopharmaceuticals.
By setting up a production plant site in Rome in 2007, the company succeeded in expanding into the European market. With these projects, the IASON group has set a new benchmark in Europe and has assumed the leading role in the field of positron emission tomography.
Growth trend continues
As shown in the following graphic, specialty pharmaceuticals have the highest growth potential in long-standing manufacturing locations which are working to full capacity.
With the background of the strong increasing demand in the area of molecular imaging and the product diversity of the company, several licences have been granted to European competitors in 2009. In doing so, the licensee produces pharmaceuticals of IASON in regions which IASON cannot supply due to the short shelf-life of its own products, including the application of synthesis modules which were developed by ARGOS for the specific production of new innovative PET radiopharmaceuticals.
Future Milestones
At the end of 2010, IASON achieved a further milestone in the area of quality management by being certified according to ISO 9001.
IASON, with its head office in Graz, was founded in 1994 and has its origins in the trade of innovative medical technology products. As a specialist for the production of radioactive pharmaceuticals, IASON helped to bring the method of positron-emission-tomography (PET) to Austria in the late 1990ies.
"Together with medicine and competence, IASON serves the patient."
Turnkey projects (Build-Operate-Transfer)
IASON has over 20 years of experience in running state-of-the-art production sites for the production of radiopharmaceuticals.
Running Cyclotron-based Pharmaceutical Production Centers Worldwide
Within our consultancy program, our international expert team of engineers and pharmacists is offering professional guidance for the all complex aspects of the operation of such production centres, such as
- Quality Management
- Regulatory Affairs
- Radiation protection
- Staffing
- Conformity with legal requirements
- GMP
- etc.
Clinical Research Programs
IASON has over 20 years of experience in the development of radiopharmaceuticals for application in positron-emission-tomography (PET)
Within our consultancy program, our international expert team is offering the following expertise:
- Production and delivery of PET-radiopharmaceuticals for clinical research purposes.
- Supply of Investigational Medicinal Product Dossiers (IMPD) for clinical trial application.
- Supply of product related Investigator’s Brochures for clinical use.
- Implementation of newest clinical standards in molecular imaging by using IASON’s network of scientific advisors.
- Clinical training in selected centers.