Acusphere, Inc. June 5 announced that it has entered into an agreement to license on a non-exclusive basis various ultrasound-related intellectual property from GE Healthcare, a division of General Electric Company. The Agreement provides Acusphere with use of GE's ultrasound contrast agent patents in combination with Acusphere's lead product candidate AI-700 in the field of ultrasound contrast agents, as well as any patents that GE acquires in the field within 12 months of the Agreement. The term of this Agreement extends until expiration of the last of the patents licensed under the Agreement. Acusphere is developing AI-700, currently in Phase 3 clinical trials, as an ultrasound contrast agent to support the assessment of myocardial perfusion, or blood flow within the heart muscle, an indication for which no contrast agent is currently approved.
Genetic Engineering News