June 16, 2009 - In response to the molybdenum 99 (Mo-99) supply shortage, Covidien sent out a letter to its customers informing them of the anticipated Covidien generator and unit dose (UD) Tc 99m supply to the overall U.S., Canadian and Latin American markets through August 2009.
The update noted the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Chalk River, Canada, will be out of service for at least three months as reported by the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd.; and the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten, The Netherlands, has a planned shutdown in early July that is expected to last a few days.
Covidien has made arrangements through its diversified supply chain to the remaining online reactors in Belgium and South Africa, and have increased orders for Mo 99 from each reactor to partially offset the shortages caused by the HFR routine maintenance and ongoing NRU reactor shutdown.
Despite these efforts, the company expects there will still be a global shortage of Tc 99m generators during this period.
Covidien stated it should be able to supply its current customers, but not fully meet new demand coming from an influx of facilities seeking alternative suppliers of Mo-99. The company cautioned that at times it may not be able to fully meet even its current clients’ demand.
For more information: www.covidien.com
October 16, 2026 
