Lantheus Seeks New Mo-99 Supplies, Solutions to Isotope Crisis

August 14, 2009 - Lantheus Medical Imaging will continue to allocate its Mo-99 supply to serve as many people as possible, said the company today in response to the statement issued by AECL regarding the extended shutdown of the NRU reactor Aug. 12.

Lantheus is collaborating with its supply partners and key customers to address the ongoing global isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), the parent isotope of technetium-99m (Tc-99m) used in its TechneLite generators, as a result of the prolonged NRU reactor shutdown in Canada and the current shutdown of the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in the Netherlands.

In an effort to actively explore options to obtain additional Mo-99, the company announced new Mo-99 supply agreements with NTP Radioisotopes (Pty) Ltd., a subsidiary of the Nuclear Energy Corp. of South Africa (NECSA), the National Institute for Radioelements (IRE), Belgium, and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) as a supplier for low-enriched uranium (LEU) Mo-99 in the North America, respectively, to manufacture and supply us with an ongoing volume of Mo-99.  These agreements demonstrate our continued commitment to investing in a supply chain diversification strategy to address the limited and fragile global Mo-99 supply chain.  Additionally, the company has significantly increased production of thallium 201 in our cyclotrons on site which are operating at full capacity to meet the demand for this alternate cardiac imaging agent during the Mo-99 shortage.

Lantheus recently endorsed the American Medical Isotopes Production Act sponsored by Representatives Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Energy and the Environment, and Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the ranking member of the subcommittee, which seeks to ensure that a reliable supply of critical medical isotopes is produced in the United States as soon as possible.

For more information: www.lantheus.com