MDS Nordion announces commercial availability of lutetium, rhenium
02 Mars 2004 - 11:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
MDS Nordion announces commercial availability of lutetium, rhenium
Radioisotopes support promising research and emerging applications
in cancer therapy OTTAWA, Canada, March 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
MDS Nordion today announced the commercial availability of
rhenium-186 (Re-186) and high specific activity lutetium-177
(Lu-177). The availability of these radioisotopes is in response to
growing demand from the global nuclear medicine community for
isotopes used in targeted radiotherapy research for the development
of new cancer therapies. According to recent market reports, the
number of targeted radiotherapy procedures performed annually in
the United States will grow from less than 5,000 in 2002 to over
200,000 in 2008 as more radiotherapy products become commercially
available. "MDS Nordion is committed to providing the research
community with the isotopes they require," said Iain Trevena,
Senior Vice President, Nuclear Medicine at MDS Nordion. "The
commercial availability of these isotopes will help the nuclear
medicine community pursue research that may lead to new forms of
cancer treatment as well as allow us to broaden our capabilities in
the development of these promising new therapies." High specific
activity isotopes, such as MDSNordion's Lu-177, are a favored
alternative in certain applications. "A higher specific activity
product is preferred when radiolabeling peptides, in particular
those peptides that are considered pharmacologically active like
Substance P and Bombesin derivatives, as it will reduce the total
peptide mass that needs to be administered, lowering the incidence
of potential side effects and improving patient welfare," said
Professor Helmut R. Maecke, a leading medical researcher with the
Institute of Nuclear Medicine at University Hospital in Basel,
Switzerland. MDS Nordion is already a key supplier of yttrium-90
(Y-90) and iodine-131 (I-131) used in the only two
radioimmunotherapies currently approved by the United States Food
and Drug Administration. "As with Y-90 and I-131, we clearly have
the capacity to increase production of Lu-177 and Re-186 as demand
grows, and to develop manufacturing partnerships with
pharmaceutical companies as research products move through clinical
trials and into commercial production," Trevena said. Lu-177 is
being investigated in several studies around the world. Its
relatively long 6.65-day half life allows more sophisticated
procedures to be used to purify and synthesize the
radiopharmaceutical for commercial use, as well as making Lu-177
easier to combine with biologically active compounds. Lu- 177 is a
low-energy beta emitter, providing a tissue-penetration range that
may be more effective for smaller tumors. Re-186 is currently being
used for pain palliation from cancerous metastases in bones and is
being investigated for a range of radiotherapeutic applications.
Both Lu-177 and Re-186 emit gamma radiation that enables diagnostic
imaging of tissue. MDS Nordion's technical, operational and market
expertise means that the nuclear medicine community now has a
dependable and secure source of supply for Lu-177 and Re-186. With
over 50 years of experience, MDS Nordion offers consistent product
quality, flexible product options, responsive customer service and
strong technical and scientific expertise. MDS Nordion's global
distribution system ensures quality and timely delivery of
short-lived isotopes. MDS Nordion (http://www.mds.nordion.com/) is
a world leader in radioisotopes, radiation and related
technologies. MDS Nordion is part of MDS Inc. At MDS Inc., our
10,000 highly skilled people provide services, products and
instruments enabling health sciences organizations to enhance the
well being of people around the world. We focus on helping discover
and test new drugs, assisting doctors to diagnose and treat
patients and preventing the spread of disease. Find out more about
MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ), at http://www.mdsintl.com/ or by
calling 1-888-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day. DATASOURCE: MDS Nordion
CONTACT: Olivia Nixon, Media Relations, MDS Nordion, Tel: (613)
592-3400 ext. 2832, E-mail: ; Kirsten Gartenburg, inmedia Public
Relations, Tel: (613) 234-7227 ext. 230, E-mail:
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