Isotope Shortage Motivates AMIC
The shutdown of Nordion’s atomic reactor has dramatically reduced the availability of molybdenum-99. This is the isotope that metabolizes to become technetium-99 (Tc-99m) and is used in almost 80 percent of nuclear medicine studies. Nordion produced somewhere between half and eight percent of the supply of the isotope, as reported by Health Imaging.
Clinicians, particularly those in nuclear cardiology, have had to significantly reduce the number of procedures completed according to the American College of Cardiology. As well, Tc-99m doses are being rationed. Some emergent procedures are instead being completed with an alternative radiopharmaceutical product, Thallium-201.
Advanced Medical Isotope Corporation (AMIC) is responding by planning to launch the company’s compact generator systems within a shorter timeframe. This technology may ameliorate problems that arise secondary to the shortage of isotopes. According to the New York Times, the Nordion shutdown is a motivator for companies based in the U.S. to develop their own isotope reactors for use in the medical setting.
AMIC is creating and implementing new devices that produce both short- and long-lived isotopes. The technology utilizes modified production practices to manufacture the isotopes. They expect that their linear accelerator will be fully operational and delivering isotopes by March 2008. As well, production agreements with two different universities were completed to address future domestic production.
December 18, 2007 Related topics: Trends, Nuclear Medicine