Worldwide Isotope Shortage Continues to Pose Significant Challenges

by Brendon Nafziger, DOTmed News Associate Editor | September 09, 2009

"Radiopharmacists are doing the best they can with the limited resources at their disposal," said Jeffrey P. Norenberg, Pharm.D., Executive Director of the National Association of Nuclear Pharmacies and a member of SNM's Domestic Isotope Availability Task Force. "But clearly, patients deserve better because better agents like Tc-99m exist. Governments should work together to prevent such shortages from ever happening again."

There are no reactors in the United States that produce Mo-99, making the isotope shortage especially acute. Nuclear medicine experts are trying to keep up with demand, while using less effective products. "It's a juggling act," Atcher said.

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About SNM-Advancing Molecular Imaging and Therapy
SNM is an international scientific and medical organization dedicated to raising public awareness about what molecular imaging is and how it can help provide patients with the best health care possible. SNM members specialize in molecular imaging, a vital element of today's medical practice that adds an additional dimension to diagnosis, changing the way common and devastating diseases are understood and treated.

SNM's more than 17,000 members set the standard for molecular imaging and nuclear medicine practice by creating guidelines, sharing information through journals and meetings and leading advocacy on key issues that affect molecular imaging and therapy research and practice. For more information, visit www.snm.org.

About The National Association of Nuclear Pharmacies
The National Association of Nuclear Pharmacies (NANP) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1984, comprised of over 400 hundred nuclear pharmacies and includes the majority of the pharmacies that prepare and distribute radiopharmaceuticals in the United States. For more information, visit www.nanp.net.

Source: SNM

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