Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Nuclear medicine practitioners may be facing a shortage of radiopharmaceuticals due to the extended shutdown of a Canadian nuclear reactor that makes much of the world's supply.
The crisis erupted on Wednesday, when a Canadian government agency reported that a reactor it operates will be shut down longer than it had expected. The plant supplies two-thirds of the world's medical radioisotopes, such as technetium-99m, which is the basis for commonly used radiotracers like cardiac SPECT agent technetium sestamibi. Get more information on this developing story by clicking here.
Regardless of what happens in Canada, users of technetium sestamibi (also known as Cardiolite) could soon be receiving the product from another source. Cardiolite's manufacturer, Bristol-Myers Squibb of New York City, announced yesterday that it is planning to divest its medical imaging business. Find out why by clicking here, and follow both of these breaking stories in our Molecular Imaging Digital Community at molecular.auntminnie.com.
In other news, we tackle the topic of improving the quality of imaging services with a new article in our Imaging Center Digital Community by staff writer Kate Madden Yee. The story discusses the steps that imaging facilities can take to improve quality and their communication with referring physicians. Get the details by clicking here, or visit the Imaging Center Digital Community at centers.auntminnie.com.
