Acusphere looks to partnering opportunities

Massachusetts, USA-based Acusphere says that it is currently focusing on partnership discussions, and thus is postponing plans for announcing its new product development program, originally scheduled for late in the third quarter of 2007. These discussions primarily cover the company's lead product candidate, Imagify, (perflubutane polymer microspheres) injectable suspension, a cardiovascular drug for the detection of coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death in the USA.

Sherri Oberg, chief executive, said: "we are very pleased by the significant interest we are experiencing from an extensive array of potential partners, and the breadth and seriousness of discussions in which we are engaged. We are confident that a partnership agreement for Imagify would provide a strengthened financial basis both for pushing forward with our preparations for that product as well as our new product development efforts."

She added: "we are very optimistic about our upcoming new product development plans that utilize our proprietary microsphere technology, and indeed our recent efforts are uncovering more opportunities for development. We anticipate sharing an update on new product development later, but we simply want to be completely focused right now on our more immediate priorities."