Good And Bad News From Amersham

Amersham International saw its share price fall sharply on July 14, after the company's chairman, Edwin Nixon, made a somewhat downbeat statement on the company's prospects. And this was also impacted by him saying that an approvable letter from the US Food and Drug Administration for the company's heart imaging agent Myoview was still "eagerly awaited."

However, even as he was speaking, the approvable letter was winging its way to Amersham. Subject to final approval, Amersham says it will distribute Myoview through its US chain of some 100 pharmacies and exclusive distributorships. It also notes that the world market for heart imaging is worth approximately L220 million ($350.6 million), with North America the largest segment, worth an estimated L130 million.

Myoview is already marketed in Europe, Japan, throughout Latin America, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim. An application has been submitted in Japan for the licensing of an easier-to-use conjugate.