GE Healthcare Launches First Ultrasound Contrast Agent Sonazoid® in China

Zhaoqing, Guangdong, April 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GE Healthcare China today announced that its first ultrasound contrast agent, SonoVue^®（Sonazoid ^®) has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China and officially launched in the Chinese market. As a new generation of specific ultrasound contrast agents, Shizhuoan^®（Sonazoid ^®) Developed by the GE Healthcare R&D Center in Oslo, Norway, this agent is primarily designed for imaging intrahepatic and extrahepatic organs and lesions. It can be applied to ultrasound imaging of the vascular phase and Kupffer phase of focal liver lesions, enabling comprehensive tumor monitoring. This facilitates early diagnosis, optimization of treatment strategies, precision therapy, efficacy monitoring, and follow-up, thereby holding significant importance for advancing the early diagnosis, early treatment, and precision management of liver tumors.

ShowZhuoAn^®（Sonazoid ^®) The generic name of the drug isPerfluorobutane Microspheres for Injection, is a highly specific mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) ultrasound contrast agent. It appears as white lumps or powder, with the upper layer filled with colorless perfluorobutane gas that can be metabolized through pulmonary respiration, and the microsphere shell composed of sodium hydrogenated phosphatidylserine, which can be metabolized by the liver and kidneys.Use of SonoVue^®（Sonazoid ^®) the duration of enhanced contrast maintenance exceeds1 hour, clear imaging results,and demonstrates a favorable safety profile.Since its initial launch in Japan in 2006, Shizhuoan^®（Sonazoid ^®) has been launched in South Korea, Norway, and Taiwan, China, helping a large number of liver tumor patients worldwide obtain more precise and efficient diagnosis and treatment.

In recent years, Asia has gradually become a global hotspot for high cancer incidence. According to the Global Cancer Report 2018 released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 2018, more than 10,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every day in China on average. The mortality rate of liver cancer ranks among the top three, and more than 80% of hepatocellular carcinoma cases are already at an intermediate or advanced stage when diagnosed, posing significant challenges for clinical treatment. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound has always been one of the important methods for imaging diagnosis and adjuvant therapy of liver tumors. However, the imaging time of traditional ultrasound contrast agents usually lasts only 3-7 minutes, making it difficult to detect small occult lesions, let alone perform ultrasound-guided interventional procedures with ease.

As a new generation of ultrasound contrast agent, SonoVue^®（Sonazoid ^®) lies in its Kupffer phase (i.e., late vascular phase imaging), which enhances the contrast enhancement effectSustainable1 to 2 hours, thereby enabling physicians to accurately detect small lesions (<1 cm) at an early stage, precisely determine the degree of differentiation of liver cancer in early diagnosis, assist in distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions, and achieve precise preoperative localization of the lesion extent to optimize treatment strategies; accurately define safety margins and provide real-time guidance during surgery; and immediately evaluate therapeutic efficacy postoperatively. It is of great value for the early diagnosis of liver cancer and the implementation of ultrasound-guided interventional procedures. In addition, Zhuoan^®（Sonazoid ^®) With excellent stability, it demonstrates superior contrast enhancement performance across both high-end and low-end ultrasound equipment from various manufacturers, enabling broader application of contrast-enhanced ultrasound technology and better meeting the public’s needs for early screening, early diagnosis, and early treatment.

Professor He Wen, President of the Chinese Society of Ultrasound Physicians, stated:“China is a country with a high prevalence of liver cancer. Currently, the sensitivity of early diagnostic imaging techniques is relatively low. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), particularly with next-generation contrast agents such as Sonazoid, provides an effective tool for the early diagnosis of liver cancer.^®"will provide effective treatment regimens for the precise treatment of the liver."

Mr. Dai Hongdong, General Manager of the Diagnostic Pharmaceutical Division of GE Healthcare China, stated, “GE Healthcare has consistently implemented its ‘Care First’ market strategy, delivering earlier and superior clinical solutions for patients through the application of precision medicine. As the first product launched by GE Healthcare in the field of ultrasound contrast agents, Sonovue”^®（Sonazoid ^®) Its launch in China represents the culmination of years of dedicated effort by the GE Healthcare team. With its superior Kupffer cell imaging capabilities and heightened sensitivity to small tumors, it will bring significant benefits to a wide range of Chinese cancer patients and high-risk populations, enabling earlier access to more efficient diagnostic processes, more precise treatment plans, and improved therapeutic outcomes. In the future, GE Healthcare will continue to accelerate innovation in the research and development of diagnostic agents, leverage artificial intelligence technologies to develop more comprehensive diagnostic solutions, and advance precision medicine toward greater accessibility and sophistication, thereby benefiting more patients in China. This is the noble mission of healthcare professionals.