EMA grants orphan drug status to OctreoPharm’s SOMscan

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted orphan drug status to OctreoPharm Sciences’ SOMscan, used for the diagnosis of gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.

The new Gallium-68-labeled radioactive contrast agent for PET has the potential to detect Phase I neuroendocrine tumours.

SOMscan binds to four out of five specific tumour receptor subtypes, which may allow detection of tumours that previously escaped discovery in imaging.