NorthStar to end production of Mo-99

NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes will shut down its molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production facilities in Beloit, WI, by the end of 2023, citing increasing costs and competition, the company reported. According to a statement, NorthStar is currently reaching out to all active customers and suppliers to mitigate any disruptions in the supply chain.“With a global market environment dominated by foreign-government subsidized competitors and new entrants in the wings, and given steadily increasing costs for raw materials, reactor irradiation, and processing, we have concluded that the Mo-99 program is no longer sustainable,” NorthStar President and CEO Frank Sholz, PhD, said in response to a query from AuntMinnie.com.No shortage is expected of Mo-99’s daughter decay chain isotope technetium-99m (Tc-99m), which is used in an estimated 40,000 diagnostic nuclear medicine exams each day in the U.S., said the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI).“SNMMI has reached out and evaluated the impact, and it doesn’t appear there will be any shortage of material,” the organization said.NorthStar has communicated the decision to employees and over the coming weeks will redeploy individuals whose jobs are being eliminated where possible, it said.The decision ends the company’s involvement in a subsidized program led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Over five years, NorthStar received more than $50 million in an...

Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - October 9, 2023 Category: Radiology Authors: Will Morton Tags: Clinical News Radiation Oncology/Therapy Source Type: news