The following abstract was submitted for the 2011 RRFM conference, which took place in Rome from 20 – 24 March 2011. You can read the full paper by clicking on the link that follows the abstract.

THE SUPPLY OF MEDICAL ISOTOPES - AN ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKET ECONOMICS, ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROPOSED POLICY APPROACH TO ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY

By R. CAMERON, A. Y. LOKHOV, C. WESTMACOTT
Nuclear Development Division,
OECD Nuclear Energy Agency,
Paris

ABSTRACT

At the request of its member countries, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has become involved in global efforts to ensure a reliable supply of molybdenum-99 (99Mo) and its decay product, technetium-99m (99mTc), the most widely used medical radioisotope. The NEA established the High-level Group on the Security of Supply of Medical Radioisotopes (HLG-MR).

The main objective of the HLG-MR is to strengthen the reliability of 99Mo and 99mTc supply in the short, medium and long term. In order to reach this objective, the group has been reviewing the 99Mo supply chain, working to identify the key areas of vulnerability, the issues that need to be addressed and the mechanisms that could be used to help resolve them. The collective efforts of HLG-MR members and nuclear medicine stakeholders have allowed for a comprehensive assessment of the key areas of vulnerability in the supply chain and an identification of the issues that need to be addressed.

As a result of the work undertaken to date, the NEA has released three reports under the new The Supply of Medical Radioisotopes series. These reports discuss the uneconomical situation of the supply chain, other vulnerabilities within the supply chain and alternative technologies to produce 99Mo/99mTc. From this work, the NEA Secretariat and the HLG-MR have started to develop the policy approach and recommendations for governments, industry and other stakeholders that will outline the foundation for ensuring the long-term supply of 99Mo/99mTc.

To read the complete paper click on the following link:
THE SUPPLY OF MEDICAL ISOTOPES - AN ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKET ECONOMICS, ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PROPOSED POLICY APPROACH TO ACHIEVING SUSTAINABILITY

Downlad presentation: THE SUPPLY OF MEDICAL ISOTOPES