RSNA 2024: Bayer Showcases Growing Radiology Portfolio

Bayer is using the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Annual Meeting (Dec. 1-5, Chicago), as a springboard to demonstrate its radiology portfolio and the innovations it is developing around artificial intelligence (AI).

Bayer announced seven collaboration agreements that will further expand the offering of its Calantic Digital Solutions medical imaging platform. The company is also presenting new scientific data for gadoquatrane, Bayer’s investigational gadolinium-based contrast agent in Phase III development. In addition, Bayer is also announcing a collaboration with global med tech company Subtle Medical.

Bayer is showcasing the latest addition to its computed tomography (CT) product portfolio, the MEDRAD Centargo CT Injection System, which recently received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance. As a multi-patient system, Centargo allows radiology technologists to do less by automating tasks, enabling them more time to focus on patient care, specifically in high-throughput settings. As a smart injector powered by foundational connectivity and cybersecurity, Centargo may also be paired with workflow solutions offerings to help alleviate administrative burdens.

Following regulatory approval in Europe and Canada in 2020, the product has been launched in 49 markets to date and can now deliver value for U.S. radiology departments, which is grappling with a shortage of radiology technologists as well as a rising demand for medical imaging.

In more than 40 thought leadership presentations, Bayer’s Medical, Regulatory, and Product AI team members from Calantic Digital Solutions, Blackford Analysis, and other Bayer Radiology solutions will moderate and showcase insights to help healthcare providers, hospital administrators, and developers advance their AI strategy, discussing topics like medical, regulatory, security, and compliance challenges in medical imaging AI, and ways to bring AI-enabled healthcare solutions to market. Developed by radiologists for radiologists, Calantic Digital Solutions coordinates various third-party app solutions into a single convenient, cloud-based marketplace. Bayer is also collaborating with new radiology AI technology providers: Rad AI and AIRS Medical for its operational AI service line as well as Contextflow, Gleamer, AZmed, Smart Soft Healthcare, and Lucida Medical for its clinical service lines to further expand its offering on Calantic Digital Solutions.

Moreover, Bayer is addressing several key challenges in healthcare AI development: In April this year, the company announced its collaboration with Google Cloud. Bayer’s new AI Innovation Platform (AIIP)—a cloud-based end-to-end software development platform designed to help streamline and accelerate the development, validation, and deployment of imaging-based AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning) healthcare applications, and built on Google Cloud technology—is now ready for customer testing. AIIP aims to empower the developer teams of healthcare organizations and startups in building scalable and compliant AI-powered medical imaging software products.

Focus on Connected Solutions

Bayer’s focus at RSNA 2024 is smarter workflow creation. Its Cortenic Connectivity platform highlights the importance of data, connectivity, and interoperability across the care continuum.

Gadoquatrane, Bayer’s investigational gadolinium-based contrast agent for MRI, is currently being investigated in Phase III studies There will be two scientific RSNA sessions highlighting new data about the compound.

• Abstract No. M7-SSNR06-1, Session No. M7-SSNR06: This presentation will focus on highlights of a scientific paper that will be honored with the Kuo York Chynn Neuroradiology Research Award, given tor the top-rated Neuroradiology scientific paper for 2024. The award will be presented to Bayer during the RSNA annual meeting.
• Abstract No. S3A-SPNR-16, Session No. S3A-SPNR

Collaboration With Subtle Medical

Bayer is announcing a further extension with Subtle Medical. The companies have agreed to move forward to develop an investigational AI software in combination with an investigational lower contrast agent dose.

The overall global medical imaging AI field, with more than $734 million in sales last year, is expected to continue growing 21% annually to reach $2 billion by 2028. Aging populations and changing lifestyles are leading to an increase in chronic conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Consequently, the demand for medical imaging to detect diseases, guide treatment decisions and support therapy planning is growing. AI comes with the value proposition of potentially aiding diagnosis and increasing the throughput of radiological examinations.

This is particularly important because time pressure and workload are contributing to burnout among radiologists, and the situation is aggravated by the general radiologist shortage.

Calantic Digital Solutions is an orchestrated platform of digital radiology AI-enabled applications that assist radiologists and their teams at critical steps within a patient’s journey. The vendor-neutral, cloud-hosted marketplace includes a growing number of applications designed to aid in prioritization, lesion detection and quantification, as well as apps that automate routine tasks and measurements, help improve radiology suites’ workflow, automate radiology reporting, report impressions, radiology patient follow-up, and interactive patient centered reports designed to free up time for radiologists and their teams, and improve the patient’s journey across the care continuum. The offering is orchestrated by body region and will include tools designed to help with thoracic, neurological, breast, prostate, cardiac and liver imaging, along with operational AI applications.

As a true life-science company with a heritage of moe than 100 years in radiology, Bayer is committed to providing innovative products and high-quality services to support efficient and optimized patient care. Bayer offers a portfolio of contrast media for computed tomography, X-ray, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), as well as devices for their administration, informatics solutions, and a AI medical imaging platform delivering access to individual AI applications. Bayer’s radiology products generated about €2 billion in 2023 sales.

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in healthcare and nutrition. The company’s products and services are designed to help support efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. In fiscal 2023, the Group employed around 100,000 people and generated €47.6 billion in sales. R&D expenses before special items amounted to €5.8 billion.