DuChemBio Co., Ltd. (DCB), a leading radio-pharmaceutical company in Korea, and Nihon Medi-Physics Co., Ltd. (NMP), a leading radiopharmaceutical company in Japan, recently announced that they have entered into an exclusive agreement to develop, register and commercialize anti-1-amino-3-18F-fluorocyclo-butane-1-carboxylic acid (FACBC) in Korea.  FACBC is a radiopharmaceutical for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of recurrent prostate cancer.

FACBC has been granted marketing authorizations by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in EU for imaging of men with suspected prostate cancer recurrence. Prostate cancer patients whose blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) indicate that the cancer may have returned after the initial treatment, such as prostatectomy, usually undergo conventional imaging tests (e.g. CT, MRI, bone scintigraphy). However, the chances to find recurrent cancer lesions in such patients using conventional imaging are relatively low. FACBC-enhanced PET imaging is a proven diagnostic tool for highly optimal management of patients with suspected prostate cancer recurrence.

Full press release

We are pleased to announce that Prof. Dr. med. Jörg Debatin, MBA has joined the Advisory Board of BGM Associates. Jörg is one of the most well-rounded global health-care leaders with a clear view for the future of medicine. After a most distinguished career as a clinician and researcher in the field of Diagnostic Imaging with tenures at Duke, Stanford, Zürich and Essen, where he served as Chair of the Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Jörg opted for a career in Hospital Management. As Medical Director and Chief Executive Officer he oversaw the transformation of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf into a showcase of organisational and structural innovation in Germany and beyond.

Jörg subsequently pursued an industrial career as CEO of the blood- and tissue-based diagnostic services provider amedes AG. Until recently he served as the Global Chief Technology and Medical Officer of GE Healthcare.

We very much look forward to working with Jörg in critically important areas such as the digital transformation of healthcare and the future of integrated diagnostics and personalised medicine.

Michael Jung has been instrumental for the foundation of BGM Associates in the spring of 2012. Michael has supported and immensely enriched our early discussions on forming a highly specialised healthcare consulting firm against the backdrop of his profound expertise as a longstanding Director of McKinsey & Company. Michael not only facilitated our first client assignment, but accompanied our strategic discussions and development through all the early years. Now after having established the company, Michael believes we need even more bio-pharma and healthcare expertise on our Advisory Board. With Prof. Dr. med. Jörg Debatin joining the Ad Board, Michael thought this to be the right moment to retire from the Ad Board but of course will stay connected. We owe him a debt of gratitude and wish Michael all the very best for his numerous other engagements and initiatives.

The German Heart Center Berlin performs the entire spectrum of cardiovascular and thoracic operations. It is one of the leading hospitals worldwide for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

Full article (in German)

The Fraunhofer MEVIS Institute for Medical Image Computing  Advisory Board has elected Prof. Dr. Hans Maier, BGM Associates, as its Chairman and Mr. Walter Märzendorfer, Siemens Healthineers, as its Vice-Chairman.
 
Fraunhofer MEVIS is a leading developer of medical software solutions for image-supported early detection, diagnosis, and therapy. Embedded in a worldwide network of clinical and academic partners, strong focus is placed on cancer as well as diseases of the circulatory system, brain, breast, liver, and lung. The goal is to detect diseases earlier and more reliably, tailor treatment to each individual, and make therapeutic success more measurable.

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During the 2018 annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging in Philadelphia, representatives of Asan Medical Center, DuChemBio Co., Ltd. and BGM Associates GmbH inked a Licensing Consortium Agreement for the international partnering of the molecular imaging compound – [18F]-fluoroestradiol (FES). [18F]FES is a fluorine-18 labelled radiopharmaceutical used for the imaging of breast cancer patients with positron emission tomography (PET) cameras.
 
Asan Medical Center, one of the leading research hospitals in Asia-Pacific region, has recently finalized its phase III trial in Korea and is now seeking regulatory approval for the [18F]FES from Korean Health Authorities.
 
DuChemBio, the leading radiopharmaceutical company in Korea, alongside BGM Associates are now in charge of the international partnering and development of the breast cancer radiopharmaceutical.

The conference which took place on the 24th of April at the European School of Management and Technology Berlin explored the current state and the future of healthcare digitalisation in Asian countries. The questions raised during the conference were, amongst others:

• How would the the digital healthcare transformation in Asia look in the future?
• How will the healthcare digitalisation in Asia solve the challenges of increasingly common ‘life style diseases’ and the expanding healthcare costs?
• How are the Asian healthcare systems being shaped, and how would they compare to the Western ones?

As part of the Asia Pacific Week 2018, the event was organised by BGM Associates, the Asia-Pacific Forum Berlin in partnership with Health Capital - Berlin Partner for Business and Technology and the German Healthcare Partnership. For further details about the contributions please see the event programme.

Prof. Gert Bruche, Co-Founder and Partner at BGM Associates presented at the event on: Digital Healthcare Transformation and Artificial Intelligence – Where is China Heading?
You can view his presentation here.

​The Future of Medical Ultrasound Symposium, held from January 17th till 19th 2018, addressed the future potential of ultrasound technologies and solutions for medical diagnosis and therapy and brought together leading experts in the field from Europe and abroad. The Symposium was held at Charité, Berlin – one of the leading university hospitals in Europe, as a collaboration of Charité, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft and the German Röntgen Society (Deutsche Röntgengesellschaft).

​Prof. Dr. Hans Maier, Member of the Advisory Board of the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing, delivered the welcome address alongside Prof. Dr. Bernd Hamm, Director of the Institute of Radiology at Charité, Prof. Dr. Horst Hahn, Director of Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing MEVIS, and Prof. Dr. Thomas Fischer, Head of Interdisciplinary Ultrasound Center Charité.

Link to the event page

Hans Maier was recently elected to the board of directors of Ascelia Pharma AB. The Malmö-based pharmaceutical company focuses on developing specialty oncological products.

Official press release

With the support of BGM Associates, ASAN Medical Center (AMC) – one of the leading hospitals in Seoul, South Korea – has entered into a Research and Development Collaboration Agreement with Piramal Imaging S.A.. The parties plan to conduct clinical studies at AMC with the intent of gaining regulatory approval for commercialization of innovative molecular tracers for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) in South Korea.

The collaboration comprises novel molecular tracers for oncology, neurology and cardiovascular applications, including, for instance, imaging agents for the detection and quantification of tau tangles in the brain and thrombi in the vascular system.

Both parties intend to jointly assign a future commercial partner for the production, supply and the marketing of the 18F-based tracers in South Korea.
 
Official press release