Mallinckrodt said it has licensed its third U.S. patent for its Octreoscan diagnostic radiopharmaceutical, this time for diagnosing the neuroendocrine tumor Merkel cell carcinoma.
Octreoscan is a peptide-based imaging agent that's long been in the company's diagnostic arsenal. It is targeted for neuroendocrine tumors bearing somatostatin receptors, providing clinical information to support diagnosis and selection of a treatment plan, Mallinckrodt said.
The patent, U.S. No. 6,123,916, is effective through September 26, 2017. Patents No. 5,753,627 and No. 5,776,894 were granted in 1998, the company said.
