Full Press Release Details
Melbourne (Australia) | 13 June 2025
Telix today announces that its prostate cancer PET [1] imaging agent Illuccix® (kit for the preparation of gallium-68 gozetotide injection) has been granted marketing authorization by the Greek EOF [2] for the detection and localization of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive lesions in adults with prostate cancer – a broad clinical label. This approval enhances the options available to healthcare providers across Greece for PSMA-PET [3] imaging using a clinically-validated, gallium-based radiopharmaceutical.
Illuccix, after radiolabelling with gallium-68, is indicated in Greece for the detection of prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-positive lesions with PET in adults with prostate cancer (PCa) in the following clinical settings:
PSMA-PET imaging represents a significant advancement in prostate cancer management, providing clinicians with more information than conventional imaging methods (bone scan, CT [4] scan) thereby offering a new standard of care after initial diagnosis and biochemical recurrence (BCR). Global guidelines highlight the superior accuracy of PSMA-PET for the staging of primary disease and evaluation of BCR [5] . Illuccix PSMA-PET will help fulfil a critical unmet need by facilitating access to timely and effective diagnosis and patient selection for treatment with PSMA-targeted therapy.
Access to PSMA-PET imaging in Greece remains extremely limited. During 2024, tracer and staff shortages meant that only 1,600 PSMA-PET examinations were conducted nationally, representing a small fraction of the 7,000 patients newly diagnosed each year. Illuccix’s broad approval, supported by robust clinical data including the largest Ga-68-based PSMA data set from the VISION trial [6] , will help address these challenges.
Dr. Theodore Pipikos, Head of Nuclear Medicine and PET/CT at Hygeia Hospital, Athens, welcomed the decision, commenting, “The approval of Illuccix marks a significant step forward in prostate cancer imaging for men in Greece. Given the structural barriers in our healthcare system, Illuccix provides healthcare practitioners with a widely accessible and much-needed tool to improve diagnostic accuracy.”
Raphaël Ortiz, Chief Executive Officer, Telix International, added, “The approval of Illuccix in Greece will support more widely available PSMA-PET imaging, and enable more healthcare providers and their patients to benefit from the convenience and flexibility of generator-produced gallium. This milestone reinforces Telix’s ongoing commitment to advancing prostate cancer care and expanding access to innovative diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals across Europe”.
Illuccix will be made available in Greece through Telix’s distribution partner BIOKOSMOS S.A. a key radiopharmaceutical manufacturer in Greece with a comprehensive distribution network, which covers the full Greek Territory as well as Cyprus.
Healthcare professionals in Greece interested in ordering Illuccix or learning more about availability can contact orders@biokosmos.gr or call +30 22920 63900.
Prostate Cancer in Greece
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in Greece with over 7,000 new cases diagnosed annually, and a significantly higher incidence in men than either bowel cancer (4,346 new cases) or lung cancer (6,357 new cases). Prostate cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in men in Greece, with just over 1,900 men dying from their disease in 2022 [7] .
[1] Positron emission tomography.
[2] ΕΟΦ, Εθνικός Οργανισμός Φαρμάκων (National Organization for Medicines).
[3] Imaging of prostate-specific membrane antigen with positron emission tomography.
[4] Computed tomography.
[5] EAU Guidelines. Edn. presented at the EAU Annual Congress Paris 2024. ISBN 978-94-92671-23-3.: https://uroweb.org/guidelines/prostate-cancer ; Prostate cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. 2023: https://www.esmo.org/guidelines/guidelines-by-topic/esmo-clinical-practice-guidelines-genitourinary-cancers/clinical-practice-guidelines-prostate-cancer/eupdate-prostate-cancer-treatment-recommendations
[6] ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03511664 . VISION study sponsored by Endocyte, a Novartis company. Telix provided Illuccix (TLX591-CDx) for PSMA-PET imaging.
[7] Global Cancer Statistics 2022: GLOBOCAN survey. Published August 2024.