Frost & Sullivan Lauds the Outstanding Product Quality of Guerbet's Flagship X-ray Contrast Agent

Business Wire, Sept 20, 2007

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Frost & Sullivan selected Guerbet as the recipient of the 2007 North American Frost & Sullivan Product Quality Leadership Award for the superiority of its contrast media products.

The company is renowned for its high product quality, especially its OXILAN[R] (ioxilan) Injection, its non-ionic low-viscous and low-osmolar monomer X-ray contrast agent.

"Contrast media products in the medical imaging industry encounter several technical and regulatory hurdles, developmental costs, clinical testing, and FDA approval to reach a sellable stage and finally, gain acceptance by end users," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst AJ Ajibade. "Guerbet has implemented a product development strategy that emphasizes quality and customer satisfaction, with the high-quality technical characteristics of its contrast media products embodying the extent of its commitment."

Guerbet has Oxilan to thank for its sustained success. Despite the possibility of side effects in injection of X-ray contrast media, Oxilan has achieved remarkably positive usage feedback, confirming it to be a safe product.

Based on differences in structure, ionicity, osmolality and viscosity, contrast media are categorized under either monomers or dimmers, ionic or non-ionic, low osmolar contrast media (LOCM) or high osmolar contrast media (HOCM) and low viscous contrast media (LVCM) or high viscous contrast media (HVCM). As an LOCM and LVCM, Oxilan shows fewer adverse side effects and is the contrast media of choice for diagnostic and interventional radiology and cardiology applications.

Apart from its efficacy, Oxilan also ensures accurate diagnosis. Guerbet is aware of the significance of ionicity, chemical structure, osmolality, and viscosity in influencing the quality of contrast media, especially while considering the visualization, hemodynamics, thrombogenicity, contrast-induced nephropathy, and other various clinical outcomes. It implemented this knowledge in the development of Oxilan to create a solution that offers first-rate imaging with minimal side effects.

"Oxilan's unique molecular structure has a hydrophobic region within its hydrophilic side chain, which leads to molecular aggregation and a reduction in the number of osmotically active particles in solution," explains Ajibade. "This results in the lowest osmolality (695mOsm/kg H2O) and viscosity (16.3 mPa.s at 20@C) of all non-ionic monomer contrast media."

Guerbet continues to take advantage of its rich market experience in Europe and worldwide. It has developed a variety of X-ray and MR contrast agents to help provide quality products, which enables improved patient management through effective diagnosis.

Oxilan's technical specifications and consequent product quality are invaluable benefits to the contrast media industry, a characteristic meticulously engineered by Guerbet.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this Award to the company that has demonstrated superior quality control over their existing competitors in product manufacturing. Quality control is an essential element of customer satisfaction and it encourages repeat business, assuring long-term market survival. "Guerbet's opportunity to improve disease management and impact patient care is through the commercialization of high quality, innovative contrast agents. Receiving this prestigious award from well recognized Frost and Sullivan validates that Guerbet is continuing to deliver this mission to physicians and patients," says Guerbet General Manager for USA subsidiary Amy Lutes.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About Guerbet

Guerbet is the only pharmaceutical group fully dedicated to contrast media. It has the most comprehensive range of X-ray and MRI contrast media available worldwide. These products assist medical professionals (radiologists, cardiologists, oncologists, etc.) in better diagnosing and treating their patients (cardiovascular, cancer, inflammatory and degenerative diseases).

To develop new products and assure its future growth every year, Guerbet devotes significant resources to research and development with 160 R&D employees and investment representing an amount equivalent to 10% of sales.

Guerbet is solidly positioned in Europe with a market share of 25% and the rest of the world resulting in 8% of worldwide market share, and is expanding its presence in the United States and Japan.

In the US, Guerbet LLC markets OXILAN[R] (ioxilan) Injection, a nonionic low-osmolar and low-viscous agent for diagnostic and interventional procedures used by interventional cardiologists, radiologists and other specialists. For more information please visit www.guerbet-us.com.