Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd (ASX: TLX) shares are rising on Thursday morning.
In morning trade, the ASX 200 healthcare stock is up 2% to $21.54
Why is this ASX 200 healthcare stock rising?
Investors have been bidding the radiopharmaceuticals company's shares higher following the release of an update on its TLX101-CDx (Pixclara) product candidate.
According to the release, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted Telix's New Drug Application (NDA) for Pixclara, which is an agent for the imaging of glioma.
In addition, the ASX 200 healthcare stock notes that the application has been granted priority review and designated a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) goal date of 26 April 2025. Management notes that this paves the way for a US commercial launch in 2025.
What is Pixclara?
Pixclara is a PET agent for identifying progressive or recurrent glioma from treatment-related changes in adult and paediatric patients.
Telix noted that floretyrosine (FET) PET was already included in international clinical practice guidelines for the imaging of gliomas. However, no FDA-approved targeted amino acid PET agent for adult and paediatric brain cancer imaging is currently commercially available in the United States.
Given its potential to address significant unmet medical needs, Pixclara has been designated an orphan drug and granted fast-track designation by the FDA.
The ASX 200 healthcare stock highlighted a critical unmet need to improve the diagnosis and management of gliomas, the most common primary brain tumours of the central nervous system, particularly in the post-treatment setting.
Conventional MRI imaging techniques have several limitations, including a lack of biological specificity, dependency on blood-brain barrier disruption, and an inherent inability to differentiate between tumour progression or treatment-related causes.
Telix notes that this can yield inconclusive results and delay time-sensitive treatment decisions. Pixclara has the potential to address this need, allowing patients to receive greater clarity in their diagnosis and treatment decisions.
'A step-change for brain cancer imaging'
The ASX 200 healthcare stock's CEO of Precision Medicine, Kevin Richardson, has high hopes for Pixclara. He said:
Telix believes that the FDA approval of Pixclara will drive a step-change for brain cancer imaging in the U.S., and bring it into line with a more advanced standard of care currently used in other markets.
There is currently a critical need for better imaging in brain cancer, and Telix is dedicated to delivering precision medicine solutions that address patient needs and enhance both cancer imaging and treatment outcomes.
