GE HealthCare and CDL Nuclear Technologies Partner to Expand Access to Flyrcado™, a Novel Cardiac PET Imaging Agent, Across the United States
GE HealthCare (Nasdaq: GEHC) has announced a pivotal Distribution and Services Agreement (DSA) with CardioNavix, a division of CDL Nuclear Technologies, a nationally recognized provider of comprehensive cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) imaging services. This agreement marks an important milestone in the U.S. rollout of Flyrcado™ (flurpiridaz F18) injection, GE HealthCare’s innovative PET imaging agent designed for the evaluation of patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease (CAD).
Through this collaboration, GE HealthCare and CDL Nuclear aim to broaden the reach of advanced cardiac PET imaging beyond traditional hospital settings, bringing it into private cardiology practices, office-based labs, and community imaging centers. The partnership underscores both companies’ shared commitment to strengthening outpatient cardiovascular care and addressing the growing burden of heart disease in the United States.
The Burden of Coronary Artery Disease in the U.S.
Coronary artery disease (CAD) remains the leading cause of death in the United States, affecting millions of adults. It occurs when plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries, narrowing blood flow and limiting oxygen supply to the heart. Early detection and accurate diagnosis are essential for effective treatment, which may include lifestyle modification, medications, stenting, or bypass surgery.
Each year, roughly six million myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) procedures are performed across the country. MPI allows clinicians to assess blood flow to the heart muscle both at rest and under stress, helping them determine whether patients have blockages or reduced blood flow that could put them at risk for heart attacks or other cardiovascular events.
Traditionally, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has been the dominant modality for MPI. However, over the past decade, positron emission tomography (PET) MPI has been gaining traction due to its superior image quality, higher diagnostic accuracy, shorter procedure times, and lower radiation dose compared with SPECT. PET also allows for quantification of absolute myocardial blood flow, a valuable parameter for identifying multi-vessel coronary disease.
Despite these advantages, PET MPI currently accounts for only 5–10% of total MPI procedures performed in the U.S. The relative scarcity of PET-capable imaging equipment, coupled with logistical challenges in distributing PET radiopharmaceuticals, has limited its wider adoption—especially in outpatient settings where most cardiology care is delivered.
GE HealthCare’s introduction of Flyrcado is poised to address these challenges by expanding access to PET imaging with a novel agent that has demonstrated clear advantages in clinical studies.
Flyrcado: A Next-Generation Cardiac PET Imaging Agent
Flyrcado™ (flurpiridaz F18) injection represents a major innovation in nuclear cardiology. It is a fluorine-18 labeled PET imaging agent developed specifically for myocardial perfusion imaging. Unlike traditional tracers such as rubidium-82 or nitrogen-13 ammonia, which have very short half-lives and require either an on-site generator or a cyclotron nearby, flurpiridaz leverages the longer half-life of fluorine-18 (approximately 110 minutes). This makes it more practical for regional distribution and use in a broader range of clinical settings, including physician offices and outpatient imaging centers.
The clinical potential of Flyrcado was demonstrated in the AURORA Phase III trial, a large, multi-center international study comparing the diagnostic accuracy of flurpiridaz PET with SPECT MPI. Results showed that Flyrcado PET delivered significantly higher sensitivity for detecting coronary artery disease while maintaining high specificity. The study also highlighted advantages in terms of image quality and interpretive confidence for physicians.
These data provide strong evidence that Flyrcado could help clinicians more reliably identify patients with CAD, reduce false negatives, and support better treatment decisions. For patients, this translates into a higher likelihood of accurate diagnosis and timely intervention—both critical to preventing adverse cardiac events.
The Distribution Challenge: Why CDL Nuclear Is a Key Partner
While the benefits of PET MPI are well recognized, expanding access has required solving a persistent challenge: how to deliver radiopharmaceuticals efficiently and reliably to outpatient practices nationwide. This is where CDL Nuclear Technologies, through its CardioNavix division, plays a vital role.
CDL Nuclear is one of the leading providers of cardiac PET solutions in the U.S., with a customer network of nearly 225 sites across hospitals and private cardiology practices. Each year, CDL and CardioNavix collectively support approximately 220,000 patient procedures. The company provides end-to-end services—including PET scanner deployment, workflow integration, clinical support, and radiopharmaceutical logistics—that allow community practices to adopt advanced imaging without needing to build infrastructure from scratch.
By partnering with CDL Nuclear, GE HealthCare gains immediate access to an established distribution and service infrastructure capable of scaling Flyrcado’s rollout quickly and efficiently. This collaboration will help ensure that cardiology practices of all sizes can incorporate PET MPI into their diagnostic toolkit, rather than limiting the technology to large hospital centers or academic medical institutions.
Leadership Perspectives
Executives from both GE HealthCare and CDL Nuclear emphasized the strategic and patient-centered significance of the agreement.
“This collaboration with CardioNavix is an important step in making Flyrcado available for patients nationwide, across all sites of care,” said Eric Ruedinger, Vice President and General Manager of GE HealthCare’s Pharmaceutical Diagnostics division for the U.S. and Canada. “CDL Nuclear Technologies is a trusted name in private cardiology and nuclear imaging, and today’s announcement underscores the confidence both organizations have in Flyrcado’s potential. This agreement helps establish the foundation needed to support GE HealthCare’s vision for Flyrcado’s growth in outpatient cardiac PET imaging and reinforces our commitment to innovation and patient-centered care.”
Similarly, CDL Nuclear’s leadership highlighted the value of being first to bring Flyrcado into private practice cardiology.
We’re proud that CardioNavix will be the first distributor to bring Flyrcado to private practice cardiology,” said Lon Wilson, CEO of CDL Nuclear Technologies. “Through our nearly 225 customer sites, CDL and CardioNavix support around 220,000 patient procedures each year with end-to-end cardiac PET solutions—and that number continues to grow. Together with GE HealthCare, we’re helping more providers bring advanced cardiac PET to patients in both private office-based settings and hospitals.”
These statements reflect a shared recognition of how transformative Flyrcado could be—not just for diagnostic imaging but for the entire continuum of cardiovascular care delivery in the U.S.
Rollout Timeline and Strategic Goals
The agreement lays out a phased rollout of Flyrcado beginning in late 2025, with broader expansion targeted for 2026 and beyond. By aligning with CDL Nuclear’s extensive network, GE HealthCare expects to rapidly build the delivery and service infrastructure required for nationwide adoption.
This approach supports GE HealthCare’s long-term strategy of expanding its presence in outpatient care settings, where much of the future growth in cardiology services is expected. Outpatient practices offer convenience for patients, lower overall costs compared to hospital-based imaging, and opportunities for cardiologists to provide more comprehensive care directly within their offices.
For GE HealthCare, Flyrcado is more than a single product launch—it represents a strategic platform for growth in molecular imaging, combining innovation in radiopharmaceuticals with scalable distribution partnerships to unlock new markets.
GE HealthCare’s Pharmaceutical Diagnostics Division
The Flyrcado initiative is anchored in the strength of GE HealthCare’s Pharmaceutical Diagnostics (PDx) division, a global leader in imaging agents. PDx products are used in approximately 130 million procedures annually, which equates to about four patient scans every second worldwide.
The division’s molecular imaging portfolio spans cardiology, neurology, and oncology, addressing critical diagnostic challenges across multiple disease areas. GE HealthCare also maintains a robust pipeline of novel tracers and contrast agents, reflecting its commitment to advancing precision medicine and improving clinical outcomes.
By integrating Flyrcado into this portfolio, GE HealthCare is reinforcing its role as a leader in next-generation imaging solutions that go beyond equipment to include radiopharmaceuticals, digital platforms, and workflow optimization.
Implications for Patients and Providers
The impact of this agreement extends well beyond corporate strategy. For patients, the availability of Flyrcado in outpatient cardiology practices could mean:
- Earlier and more accurate diagnosis of coronary artery disease.
- Improved access to advanced imaging in community-based settings, reducing the need for hospital visits.
- Faster clinical decision-making, enabling timely interventions that may prevent heart attacks or other complications.
- Greater confidence for patients and their families that their cardiac care is guided by the most advanced tools available.
For providers, the collaboration reduces many of the traditional barriers to adopting PET MPI, including logistical complexity, equipment costs, and tracer availability. By leveraging CDL Nuclear’s service model and GE HealthCare’s manufacturing and innovation capabilities, cardiology practices can integrate Flyrcado seamlessly into their care pathways.
As cardiovascular disease continues to place enormous strain on healthcare systems, innovations that improve diagnostic accuracy and expand access are urgently needed. The GE HealthCare–CDL Nuclear agreement represents a convergence of science, technology, and service delivery designed to meet this need.
With the upcoming rollout of Flyrcado, U.S. cardiology is poised to enter a new era in which PET MPI becomes a mainstream option, not just a niche tool for select centers. By enabling widespread access, the partnership has the potential to shift the standard of care for millions of patients at risk of coronary artery disease.
The Distribution and Services Agreement between GE HealthCare and CDL Nuclear Technologies marks a defining step in bringing Flyrcado™ (flurpiridaz F18) injection to patients nationwide. Built on the strengths of CDL’s extensive outpatient cardiology network and GE HealthCare’s leadership in pharmaceutical diagnostics, the collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of cardiac PET imaging in the U.S.
By improving diagnostic accuracy, expanding access beyond hospital walls, and reinforcing a commitment to patient-centered innovation, this partnership sets the stage for a transformative impact on cardiovascular care delivery. With rollout beginning in late 2025 and broad expansion planned for 2026, Flyrcado has the potential to redefine how coronary artery disease is evaluated and managed—bringing new hope to millions of patients across the country.
