German radiopharmaceutical biotechnology company ITM Isotope Technologies Munich said that an isotope production system to produce the therapeutic radioisotope lutetium-177 (Lu-177) has been installed by its partners in the Canadian province of Ontario.
ITM said that the Lu-177 production system was installed by its partners Bruce Power and Isogen, a partnership between Kinectrics and Framatome. The companies claim the installation is the first power reactor with the installed capacity to produce Lu-177; the system will also be able to produce other isotopes for medical uses over the long term.
With the new system installed, the companies will now shift their focus to commissioning, along with preparation activities for commercial production and regulatory submissions. The companies believe that Lu-177 offers an alternative to chemotherapy by deploying a therapeutic dose of radiation to target cancer cells while limiting damage to surrounding healthy tissues and organs.
