Sir William Castell: championing Norway’s pioneers of ultrasound contrast media
Page date: Published 9 Mar 2023; updated 21 Sep 2026. 5 min read.
The article recounts the development of Norwegian ultrasound contrast media and the 1997 merger of Nycomed Imaging’s diagnostic division with Amersham International. It says the combined Nycomed Amersham group had an estimated 30% share of in-vivo imaging agents and annual revenue of USD 2.5 billion, and was later acquired by GE for nearly USD 10 billion in 2004. These are historical figures reported by the article.
It describes early research into using ultrasound and microbubbles to deliver drugs or genetic material to specific tissues, including a 1997 hypothesis by Sanjiv Kaul’s University of Virginia team. Sir William Castell says the established safety record of diagnostic ultrasound and better imaging probes could support research into therapeutic delivery and more precise targeting. The article characterizes these as developing research and clinical-development areas, not established treatment outcomes.
The article says that by 2019 contrast agents derived from Nycomed Amersham products were used in over 100 million procedures annually. It names Optison and Sonazoid as two of four commercially approved ultrasound diagnostic microbubble agents at the time of publication. It also cites a 2021 contrast-enhanced ultrasound market estimate of USD 2.4 billion; this historical market figure and publication-era product status should not be treated as current.
The piece is part of “The global reach of Norwegian ultrasound innovation,” written by Leah Anderson on behalf of EXACT Therapeutics, Innovation Norway, Norway Health Tech, Investinor and NTNU’s Centre for Innovative Ultrasound Solutions. Six companion articles are linked. Contact for stories: Masha Strømme, Masha@exact-tx.com. The article lists nine references, including peer-reviewed studies and market reports.
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