Isotope Shortage Threatens Health of Patients Nationwide

The prolonged closure of a Canadian nuclear reactor that supplies over two thirds of the world’s medical radioisotopes has severely hindered the ability of hospitals nationwide to perform a variety of procedures and diagnostic studies for diseases like cancer and heart disease. The National Research Universal reactor at Chalk River, Ontario shut down November 18 for what was supposed to be a planned five-day maintenance operation, but now the shutdown is expected to last into mid-January.

American hospitals inject the radioisotope technetium-99 into 20 million patients annually as a radioactive tracer for imaging the brain, thyroid, lungs, liver, gallbladder, kidneys, skeleton, blood, and tumors. Those hospitals rely on the Canadian reactor for the production of molybdenum-99, which decays into technetium-99, to meet the needs of their patients. The majority of American hospitals purchase molybdenum-99 from U.S. corporations like Bristol-Myers Squibb, which in turn buy their supplies from Canadian distribution companies like MDS Nordion, which controls the distribution of the Chalk River isotopes.

The isotope crisis has revealed both the extent to which American medical care is dependent on international supplies and the companies and government entities that control the distribution of these supplies. With America so reliant on foreign imports of important radioisotopes, it is unacceptable that the time and money hasn’t been spent to develop sufficient radioisotope production facilities on U.S. soil. But medical centers around the globe are feeling the impact of the shutdown: the Chalk River reactor produces 50 to 80 percent of the world’s supply of molybdenum-99.

Advanced Medical Isotope Corporation Chief Science Officer Dr. Robert Schenter has recognized this fundamental problem and pledged to engage his company in developing a solution. The company is finalizing agreements with two universities to further production capabilities addressing the need for domestic production of isotopes. The corporation is also developing a linear accelerator in Washington that it expects will be fully operational and delivering isotopes by early 2008.

It is far more dangerous to rely on foreign imports for important medical supplies than to deal with the security and environmental concerns that attend the development of sufficient domestic nuclear facilities. The health of patients depends upon these supplies.

Tags: medicine

Comments on this article

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.