Dutch reactor shuttered until October; radioisotope shortage likely
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| The first Technetium-99m generator. Image Source: Brookhaven National Laboratory |
“The consequences of this further delay will have an impact on the medical isotope market," the Dutch company said in a statement. “NRG will not produce any medical isotopes in the months September and October (until 25th of October). We have already informed our customers about the situation. We are assisting in the search for alternative supply routes.”
NRG stopped activity at the reactor after air bubbles were discovered in its cooling system. The company has said there is no danger to the public or the environment.
The reactor is the second-biggest producer of medical isotopes worldwide after Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.'s (AECL) facility at Chalk River, Ontario, CBC News reported. The Dutch reactor produces the majority of the world supply of isotopes of the element technetium.
Technetium-99m is used in 80 percent of diagnostic imaging that uses nuclear medicine technology, including imaging of the heart, kidney and brain. NRG-made isotopes account for seven million diagnostic tests annually in Europe and eight million per year in the United States, according to NRG.
Last week, AECL said that, given the shutdown in the Netherlands, its nuclear reactor at Chalk River, could increase production to meet Canada's demand for medical isotopes if required.
However, MDS Nordion in Ottawa, Ontario, a Canadian company that buys isotopes from AECL and sells them to pharmaceutical manufacturers, said: "MDS Nordion does not determine the allocation of medical isotopes to specific end users," such as hospitals in Canada or worldwide.
"We are concerned there is currently no reliable, long-term isotope supply solution to meet this growing demand. As a result, there is risk of isotope shortages recurring," MDS Nordion said last week.