Mo-99 shortages to end week of November 11

Normal supplies of molybdenum-99 are expected to be available by the beginning of the week of November 11, according to the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).

On October 14, Nuclear Medicine Europe (NMEU) announced that a delayed restart of the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in the Netherlands was expected to cause supply shortages of Mo-99 to technetium-99 m (Tc-99m) generator manufacturers into November. The reactor, located in Petten, is operated by the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) and is expected to restart November 4, the SNMMI said.

NMEU was also notified that the Maria research reactor in Poland, which also produces Mo-99, plans to restart on October 31 and continue the cycle until November 6, the SNMMI said.

“NMEU is aware that various regions of the world have been experiencing shortages ranging from 50% to 100% of normal requirements. Assuming the return of both Maria and HFR in the next six days, we anticipate that normal supply of Mo-99 will be achieved by the beginning of the week of November 11, bringing shortages to an end,” the SNMMI stated.

The HFR and Maria reactors produce and ship Mo-99 to Tc-99m generator manufacturers around the world. Tc-99m is then eluted from Mo-99 at radiopharmacies prior to being transported to hospitals.

According to estimates, Tc-99m is used in 40,000 diagnostic imaging scans in the U.S. per day, a majority in nuclear cardiology.