Company
About IASON
IASON is a leading specialist in the development, production and distribution of radiopharmaceuticals for application in positron-emission-tomography (PET).
Our Mission
IASON has its origins in the trade of innovative medical technology products. As a specialist for the production of radioactive pharmaceuticals, IASON helped to bring the method of positron-emission-tomography (PET) to Austria in the late 1990ies. Today, IASON is one of the most innovative companies in the field and supplies specialized PET radiopharmaceuticals to private and public hospitals all across Europe.
Our Vision
IASON is headquartered in Graz and owns and operates two state-of-the-art radiopharmaceutical production sites in Austria (Linz and Klagenfurt). We are continuously enlarging the IASON production network by looking to strike up collaborations with new partners, especially in the form of Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) and License partners. The IASON Group also has a particular focus on R&D: the company policy is to bring a new product to Marketing Authorization every two years.
Our Guiding Principles
Production and delivery of our sensitive products meet highest quality standards, following national (e.g. AMBO 2009) and international regulations (e.g. GMP – Good Manufacturing Practice, GDP – Good Distribution Practice, ADR – transport of dangerous goods etc). Our employees are highly trained and following strict guidelines and internal procedures when carrying out their complex tasks. IASON is also certified according to the ISO 9001:2015 Management System.
IASON helps thousands
of patients afflicted
with cancer to live
longer and better lives!
Our Management
Mag. Christoph Artner, who founded IASON in 1994, is to this day the sole owner and Managing Director of all companies of the IASON group.
Our Culture
When IASON was founded and named, reference was made to Greek mythology. Therefore, despite not being active in the cultural field, IASON attaches great importance to cultural matters.
IASON: our name is derived from Greek mythology and designates the famous leader of the Argonauts. The story of IASON is the path of a hero and his fight for justice. His journey serves us as a shining example with regard to our entrepreneurial thinking and acting.
The journey of the Argonauts took place before the Trojan War and numerous heroic deeds were accomplished during this time. Aeson, who is supposed to succeed the throne in Iolcos, is expelled by his stepbrother Pelias. Aeson saves his young son Iason by bringing him to the Centaur Chiron.
Iason is taught in different areas of medicine and acquires extensive knowledge in the art of healing. By the time he is grown up, he returns to Iolcos to claim his heritage.
Iason reveals himself to be Aeson’s son, and Pelias agrees that, if Iason is able to obtain the Golden Fleece (alongside accomplishing other heroic deeds), he would regain his heritage.
This is exactly what the company IASON identifies with:
to strive every day for the well-being of the people and to master great challenges!
Competences
Radiopharmaceuticals
What is PET?
Process
IASON‘s core competence lies in the development, production and distribution of radioactive pharmaceuticals for application in Positron-Emission-Tomography (PET). Our USPs are clearly our Marketing Authorizations (MAs) which we hold for our products in several European countries (see /products).
Our products Efdege®, IASOcholine®, IASOflu®, IASOdopa® and IASOglio® are mainly used for PET, a technique used for producing high-resolution images of cancer, but application today also extends to a growing number of non-oncological indications, e.g. the detection of micro-fissures of the spine in case of back-pain of ambiguous origin. PET radiopharmaceuticals are considered to be consumables required for positron-emission-tomography.
New PET radiopharmaceuticals are constantly being developed into a marketable commodity in the R&D department of the company group. The company policy is to bring a new product to Marketing Authorization every two years. IASON is the only producer world-wide who has received Marketing Authorizations (which is equivalent to the American FDA approval) for six different radiopharmaceuticals for PET.
“Our PET radiopharmaceuticals are produced at the company-owned production sites in Linz and Klagenfurt at night and are delivered to the hospitals in the early morning hours. These products only have a half-life of about two hours, which means that after this time, half of the product has already disappeared. This timely production and delivery to the hospital is one of the key competences of IASON.”
Mag. Christoph Artner – Founder and Managing Director
Our Business Model
01
O-18 WATER
O-18 enriched water, an essential starting material for the production process, is produced at the IASON water tower.
02
Cyclotron
A cyclotron (a small particle accelerator) is at the heart of the complex production process.
03
Tracer Synthesis
The tracers are synthesized by means of specialized dispensing systems.
04
i. v. Injection
The finished tracers are delivered to the hospitals in the early morning hours, where the patients are already fully prepared for the PET Scanning.
05
PET/CT Scanning
After the injection, the patient must wait a pre-defined period of time for the tracer to be distributed in the body before the PET scanning can begin.
06
PET/CT Scan
The results of the PET scanning help doctors understand their patients’ condition and plan the next therapeutic steps.
Awards
IASON has been a three-time finalist in the European Business Awards (2014, 2017 and 2019), a prestigious business competition that rewards companies for their excellence in innovation and ethics.
The category in which IASON advanced to the European finals in 2020 was the ‘Customer and Market Engagement Award with turnover €0-25M’.
