{"slug":"contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11","tag":"contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11","variants":["contrast-agents-gaps-2026-11"],"description":"No description yet","count":29,"kinds":{"drug":25,"technology":3,"company":1},"related":[{"slug":"diagnostic","tag":"diagnostic","shared":25}],"records":[{"id":"gadoxetate-disodium","kind":"drug","name":"Gadoxetate disodium (liver-specific MRI contrast)","route":"/drugs/gadoxetate-disodium/","status":"approved","tldr":"An MRI dye injected into a vein that is absorbed by healthy liver cells, so spots in the liver that are not normal liver tissue show up clearly. It is used to find and characterise liver tumours."},{"id":"gadobutrol","kind":"drug","name":"Gadobutrol","route":"/drugs/gadobutrol/","status":"approved","tldr":"A widely used MRI dye given into a vein. Its American licence includes brain and spine scans and breast MRI to see how far a breast cancer extends."},{"id":"gadoterate-meglumine","kind":"drug","name":"Gadoterate meglumine","route":"/drugs/gadoterate-meglumine/","status":"approved","tldr":"An MRI dye given into a vein for scans of the brain and spine, used for example to show brain tumours and metastases."},{"id":"gadobenate-dimeglumine","kind":"drug","name":"Gadobenate dimeglumine","route":"/drugs/gadobenate-dimeglumine/","status":"approved","tldr":"An MRI dye given into a vein for scans of the brain and spine and for imaging blood vessels."},{"id":"gadoteridol","kind":"drug","name":"Gadoteridol","route":"/drugs/gadoteridol/","status":"approved","tldr":"An MRI dye given into a vein for scans of the brain, spine, and head and neck."},{"id":"gadopiclenol","kind":"drug","name":"Gadopiclenol","route":"/drugs/gadopiclenol/","status":"approved","tldr":"A newer MRI dye given into a vein, approved in 2022 in the United States and 2023 in Europe, for brain and body scans including the liver, breast, lung and prostate in Europe."},{"id":"gadoquatrane","kind":"drug","name":"Gadoquatrane","route":"/drugs/gadoquatrane/","status":"approved","tldr":"A gadolinium MRI dye approved in the United States in 2026 for brain and body scans."},{"id":"gadodiamide","kind":"drug","name":"Gadodiamide","route":"/drugs/gadodiamide/","status":"approved","tldr":"An older MRI dye given into a vein for scans of the brain, spine, chest, abdomen and pelvis."},{"id":"ferabright-ferumoxytol","kind":"drug","name":"Ferumoxytol for brain MRI (FeraBright)","route":"/drugs/ferabright-ferumoxytol/","status":"approved","tldr":"An iron-based MRI dye, not gadolinium, approved in the United States in 2025 for brain scans in adults with known or suspected brain tumours."},{"id":"mangafodipir","kind":"drug","name":"Mangafodipir (withdrawn liver MRI contrast)","route":"/drugs/mangafodipir/","status":"withdrawn","tldr":"A liver MRI dye based on manganese that was authorised in Europe from 1997 to 2012 for finding liver metastases and liver cancer, and is no longer available."},{"id":"ferumoxtran-10","kind":"drug","name":"Ferumoxtran-10 (Sinerem, lymph node MRI contrast)","route":"/drugs/ferumoxtran-10/","status":"withdrawn","tldr":"An iron-based MRI dye designed to show whether lymph nodes contain cancer. Its European application was withdrawn in 2007 and it is not authorised there."},{"id":"iohexol","kind":"drug","name":"Iohexol","route":"/drugs/iohexol/","status":"approved","tldr":"One of the commonest dyes used for CT scans, given into a vein, by mouth or in other ways depending on the scan."},{"id":"iodixanol","kind":"drug","name":"Iodixanol","route":"/drugs/iodixanol/","status":"approved","tldr":"A CT and angiography dye given into a vein or artery."},{"id":"iopamidol","kind":"drug","name":"Iopamidol","route":"/drugs/iopamidol/","status":"approved","tldr":"A CT and X-ray dye made by Bracco, sold for injection into a vein and, in a separate form, into the spinal fluid for myelography."},{"id":"iopromide","kind":"drug","name":"Iopromide","route":"/drugs/iopromide/","status":"approved","tldr":"A CT dye given into a vein. In the United States it is also licensed for contrast-enhanced mammography, a breast X-ray taken after the dye to show cancers that ordinary mammograms can miss."},{"id":"ioversol","kind":"drug","name":"Ioversol","route":"/drugs/ioversol/","status":"approved","tldr":"A CT and angiography dye given into a vein or artery."},{"id":"iomeprol","kind":"drug","name":"Iomeprol","route":"/drugs/iomeprol/","status":"approved","tldr":"A CT and angiography dye approved in the United States in 2024."},{"id":"diatrizoate","kind":"drug","name":"Diatrizoate meglumine and diatrizoate sodium (oral contrast)","route":"/drugs/diatrizoate/","status":"approved","tldr":"A drink of iodine-based dye used to outline the gut on X-rays and CT scans, especially when a leak or perforation is possible and barium would be unsafe."},{"id":"iothalamate-meglumine","kind":"drug","name":"Iothalamate meglumine (bladder contrast)","route":"/drugs/iothalamate-meglumine/","status":"approved","tldr":"An X-ray dye put into the bladder through a catheter to outline the bladder and urethra."},{"id":"barium-sulfate","kind":"drug","name":"Barium sulfate oral contrast","route":"/drugs/barium-sulfate/","status":"approved","tldr":"The chalky drink swallowed before some CT scans and X-rays so the gullet, stomach and bowel show up clearly."},{"id":"sulfur-hexafluoride-microspheres","kind":"drug","name":"Sulfur hexafluoride microbubbles (ultrasound contrast)","route":"/drugs/sulfur-hexafluoride-microspheres/","status":"approved","tldr":"Tiny gas bubbles injected into a vein during an ultrasound scan. In the liver they show how a lump fills with blood, which helps tell liver cancer and other lesions apart without radiation."},{"id":"perflutren-lipid-microspheres","kind":"drug","name":"Perflutren lipid microspheres (ultrasound contrast)","route":"/drugs/perflutren-lipid-microspheres/","status":"approved","tldr":"Gas bubbles injected into a vein during a heart ultrasound to show the heart's pumping chamber more clearly when the ordinary picture is not good enough."},{"id":"optison","kind":"drug","name":"Perflutren protein-type A microspheres (ultrasound contrast)","route":"/drugs/optison/","status":"approved","tldr":"Gas bubbles in a protein shell injected into a vein during a heart ultrasound to show the heart's pumping chamber more clearly."},{"id":"isosulfan-blue","kind":"drug","name":"Isosulfan blue (lymphatic mapping dye)","route":"/drugs/isosulfan-blue/","status":"approved","tldr":"A blue dye injected near a tumour before surgery. It travels to the nearest lymph nodes and stains them blue, helping the surgeon find the sentinel node."},{"id":"indigotindisulfonate","kind":"drug","name":"Indigotindisulfonate sodium (indigo carmine)","route":"/drugs/indigotindisulfonate/","status":"approved","tldr":"A blue dye given into a vein near the end of an operation on the pelvis, so the surgeon can see blue urine coming from each ureter and check they were not damaged."},{"id":"gadolinium-based-contrast-agents","kind":"technology","name":"Gadolinium-based and other MRI contrast agents","route":"/technologies/gadolinium-based-contrast-agents/","status":"standard-of-care","tldr":"The dyes injected into a vein during many MRI scans. They make tumours and inflamed tissue light up, which helps find cancers, measure them and check how they respond to treatment."},{"id":"iodinated-contrast-media","kind":"technology","name":"Iodinated and barium contrast for CT and X-ray","route":"/technologies/iodinated-contrast-media/","status":"standard-of-care","tldr":"The iodine-based dyes injected into a vein for most CT scans, and the drinks of iodine or barium that outline the gut. They make blood vessels, organs and many tumours stand out."},{"id":"ultrasound-contrast-agents","kind":"technology","name":"Ultrasound contrast agents (microbubbles)","route":"/technologies/ultrasound-contrast-agents/","status":"standard-of-care","tldr":"Tiny gas bubbles injected into a vein during an ultrasound scan, used to show blood flow in the heart and, in the liver, to tell different kinds of lump apart without radiation."},{"id":"bracco","kind":"company","name":"Bracco (Bracco Imaging and Bracco Diagnostics)","route":"/companies/bracco/","tldr":"Bracco makes contrast agents for MRI, CT, X-ray and ultrasound, including MultiHance, ProHance, Vueway, Isovue, Iomervu, Gastrografin, barium drinks and Lumason."}]}