From the June 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
HCB News: You raised the issue of the U.S. not having a domestic supply of Mo-99. How is this progressing?
TO: Cardinal Health and others in the industry are closely following these projects for the creation of a domestic Mo-99 supply. We need continued support from the U.S. government to assist commercial entities in establishing a reliable domestic supply of Mo-99.
In January 2013, the American Medical Isotope Production Act (AMIPA) was enacted to help establish a reliable domestic supply of LEU Mo-99. Making gains in this area, in December 2016, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) announced that it entered into follow-on cooperative agreements with three commercial entities to establish a reliable domestic source of molybdenum-99 that will be produced without the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU).
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HCB News: When will conversion to low enriched uranium (LEU) become mandatory? What does that mean to the industry?
TO: Since 1978, the International Atomic Energy Agency and U.S. Department of Energy have led focused programs to convert research reactors from using HEU to LEU to reduce the potential risk of terrorists accessing HEU. In 2007, 140 research reactors were using HEU fuel, and in 2016, this number was down to 74 research reactors using HEU. This includes eight reactors in the U.S. HEU continues to be used in producing Mo-99, as fuel for reactors and as targets. However, many producers utilize LEU fuels in their reactors, but continue to rely on HEU targets.
The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) also works with international Mo-99 producers to convert their facilities to LEU targets. The goal is to eliminate the use of HEU in civilian applications worldwide, including in research reactors and medical isotope production facilities. It is key for the government to invest in these programs, otherwise the timelines will be very drawn out.
HCB News: What is the state of the radiopharmaceutical market today and what does the near-term future look like?
TO: We continue to see solid demand for myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) due to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and MPI’s ability to assist a physician in determining a course of action.
In 2016, we saw new radiopharmaceutical products enter the market, and this brings a sense of optimism to the industry as we continue to provide patients and health care providers effective tools to diagnose and treat patients. The pipeline for radiopharmaceuticals is a strong indication pharmaceutical manufacturers continue to invest in our industry.
