BWXT Medical has become a supplier of Ac-225 for Fusion Pharmaceuticals.

BWXT Medical to supply Fusion Pharmaceuticals with Ac-225 for targeted alpha therapies

January 12, 2023
by John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter
As part of a preferred partner agreement, Fusion Pharmaceuticals has appointed BWXT Medical, a subsidiary of BWX Technologies, to supply it with predetermined amounts of actinium-225 for the production of targeted alpha therapies (TATs) for cancer treatments.

Ac-225 is an alpha emitting isotope within TATs, an emerging class of radionuclide therapy which combines it with specific tumor-seeking targeting vectors to destroy tumors. TATs have shown considerable promise in treating tumors with a high unmet medical need, while sparing healthy tissue.

Highly in demand, only a limited number of suppliers are able to produce substantial amounts of high-purity actinium, such as BWXT Medical, which will supply Fusion with actinium at volume-based pricing.

“Fusion’s portfolio of clinical-stage targeted alpha therapies is expanding, with three proprietary programs in clinical trials and additional programs advancing under our collaboration with AstraZeneca. Based on emerging clinical data in the literature which show the power of alpha particles over conventional beta emitters, we continue to proactively prioritize access to actinium as a critical component of Fusion’s development plans, and we are excited to partner with BWXT Medical,” said Fusion chief executive officer John Valliant in a statement.

BWXT produces radiopharmaceuticals and medical isotopes within its 80,000-square-foot cGMP manufacturing facility in Ottawa and at the state-of-the-art commercial cyclotron facility within TRIUMF, Canada’s particle acceleration center.

“Excitement for the potential of targeted alpha therapies to treat cancer is growing, and we have made the necessary investments in infrastructure and intellectual property to help meet the increasing global demand for actinium,” said BWXT Medical president and chief executive officer Jonathan Cirtain.

Fusion invested in TRIUMF back in 2020 to upgrade its Ac-225 production infrastructure in exchange for preferred access to the isotope. This allowed TRIUMF to increase production and delivery of Ac-225.

Fusion most recently partnered with Niowave, a manufacturer of medical radioisotopes from radium and uranium, investing up to $5 million in Niowave to further develop its technology to increase current production capacity of actinium-225 in exchange for guaranteed access to a percentage of the product.