Hospitals and medical groups got one step closer to avoiding more disruptions in providing certain imaging procedures with the recent introduction of the American Medical Isotopes Production Act of 2011.

The Senate bill aims to promote domestic production of the medical isotope molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). It will also phase out the export of highly enriched uranium.

The bill, S-99, has bipartisan support and was introduced Jan. 25 by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chair of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ala.).

Mo-99 is an isotope that decays to Technetium-99m, which is used for 18 million — or 85 percent — of the medical isotope procedures performed each year in the United States to detect heart disease, cancer, thyroid disease, and to study brain and kidney function. Currently, only eight foreign producers are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to import Mo-99 into the country — and no domestic facilities produce the isotope for medical uses, according to SNM, an international medical organization dedicated to advancing molecular imaging and therapy. SNM joined with other medical organizations in support of the new bill.

The fragility of the supply chain for the isotope was driven home last summer, as two reactors in Canada and Europe were shut down for several months for maintenance. This led to the disruption or delay of nuclear medicine procedures for an estimated 50,000 U.S. patients each day, reported SNM.

"This bill will correct the problem by authorizing the Department of Energy to work with U.S. companies to produce a reliable domestic supply of molybdenum-99 in order to avoid a future shortage," said Sen. Bingaman in his opening statement to the Committee.

Robert Atcher, chair of SNM's Government Relations Committee, echoed this sentiment.

"In order to ensure that our patients can receive the best medical care, it's essential that a reliable supply of Mo-99 be available in the United States."

The legislation provides the Department of Energy $143 million over three years, according to an Energy Committee statement. A similar bill was voted out of the Committee unanimously in 2009, but was stalled last year by the now-retired Sen. Christopher Bond (R-Mo.). A House of Representatives bill is expected to be introduced in the coming weeks.

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