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A recent expert panel report entitled "Forecast Future Demand for Medical Isotopes," issued by the Nuclear Energy Research Advisory Committee (NERAC), projects a significant annual growth for the isotopes produced by the Department's Office of Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology, Office of Isotope Programs.

The study, prepared by a panel of recognized experts in the medical isotope community, concludes that the Department must continue to develop the capability to produce a diverse supply of radioisotopes for medical use in quantities sufficient to support research and clinical activities. This would prevent shortages of isotopes, reduce American dependence on foreign radionuclide sources and stimulate biomedical research. The report also encourages a more extensive collaborative effort between the Department's Isotope Program and the National Institutes of Health in the areas of basic medical isotope research.

The expert panel projects that the expected growth rate of these medical isotopes over the next 20 years will be between 7-14% annually for therapeutic or treatment applications and 7-16% annually for diagnostic applications. The panel noted that without modern, reliable isotope production facilities, the practice of nuclear medicine would suffer, as would the patients who require these services.

According to the panel, nuclear medicine is being crippled by the deteriorating infrastructure for isotope production, chiefly due to aging facilities and high maintenance costs. Research isotopes for promising new nuclear medicine products are frequently unavailable or very expensive. Clinical trials, which are the kernels of promising and exciting new therapies, often need large quantities of radionuclides that are not always readily available. This could lead to the abandonment of research, or at least significant delays in clinical trials. To address these issues, the Department needs to make a significant investment in isotope production capability over the next ten years, the report states.

The Department has taken early steps to address these facility issues. Installation of an upgraded research isotope production station at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center in New Mexico will begin this summer. More strategically, the NERAC is developing recommendations for the Department's long-term isotope research and production plan. This plan may consider creative approaches, such as public-private partnerships, for new isotope production facilities.

Click here for a copy of the expert panel report or call 301-903-5161. For a copy of the Isotope Programs Product and Service Catalog and price list, click here or call 301-903-5161.