Vizamyl

Product Overview

About Vizamyl

Vizamyl is a radiopharmaceutical (a medicine containing small amounts of a radioactive substance) that contains the active substance flutemetamol (18F); it is for diagnostic use only.

What it is used for

Vizamyl is used during brain scans in patients with memory problems so that doctors can see whether or not they have significant amounts of β-amyloid plaques in the brain. β-amyloid plaques are deposits sometimes present in the brain of people with memory problems caused by dementia (such as Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy-body dementia and Parkinson’s disease dementia) and also in the brain of some older people with no symptoms of dementia. The type of scan used with Vizamyl is called positron-emission tomography (PET).

How it is used

Vizamyl can only be obtained with a prescription, and PET scans with Vizamyl should only be requested by doctors experienced in the clinical management of patients with diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. Vizamyl is available as a solution that is given by injection into a vein, about 90 minutes before obtaining an image from a PET scan. After the image is obtained, it is read by nuclear medicine physicians specifically trained in interpreting PET scans with Vizamyl. Patients should discuss the results of their PET scan with their doctor.

How it works

The active substance in Vizamyl, flutemetamol (18F), is a radiopharmaceutical that emits low amounts of radiation and works by targeting and attaching to β-amyloid plaques in the brain. The radiation it emits can be detected on the PET scan, enabling doctors to see whether or not significant amounts of plaques are present. If few or no β-amyloid plaques are seen in the PET scan (a negative scan), the patient is unlikely to have Alzheimer’s disease. However, a positive scan on its own is not sufficient to make a diagnosis in patients with memory problems, as plaques may be seen in patients with different types of neurodegenerative dementias as well as in older people with no symptoms. Doctors will therefore need to use the scan together with a clinical evaluation.

Active substance: flutemetamol (18F)

Source: EMA EPAR